The Aura is with the Forgotten
by Gerbilftw
Summary: AU, during the medieval ages. Ash was born in a poor and simple town... But after several drastic events, his life's going to take a completely new direction as his past will get to him, the past of the Aura... Slight OOC possible pearlshipping Ash/Dawn
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Old, and new, readers! It was a long time since I published a story... so why not now? ;)**

**But let me explain some things first (if it didn't get it clear enough in the summary): **

**1. The story's, as you'll later read, during the medieval ages... everything will actually be explained in the intro below this text.**

**2. Since this is during the medieval ages, and a T-rated story, death is a common thing... characters will die in it, the only question is: Who?**

**3. I would like to thank Justicez (my Beta Reader) for really taking his time with the chapters I've been spamming him with, since I know it's a hard job to look through my grammar :P**

**4. The first chapters will mainly be about Ash (won't say how many) but there'll be some mentions of Dawn in a third form (you'll understand once we get there).**

**Now... I guess that the only thing that's left to do, is to read the story (and review when you're finished!)! **

**R&R!**

**Enjoy the chapter!  
**

* * *

"Sinnoh... the land of the strong, at least that's what the people who live there describe themselves as...

A little bird with a brown and cream-colored crest was flying high in the skies of Sinnoh, deep in thought.

The little bird had recently been on a big adventure, he accidentally got too close to a Celebi when it was about to Time-Travel... he was sent to a very strange time, or rather a very strange future.

In the future he could see humans using pokemon as tools and using them to battle each other for the humans' entertainment!

The Pidgey shook his head. He couldn't just understand how pokemon could become the humans' tools in the future. In this time, the humans and pokemon lived together as equals, those strange balls that humans used to store the pokemon didn't exist here, and there was no such thing as a "trainer" or "coordinator". A human had to earn a pokemon's respect and couldn't just force it to follow him, or just by sucking them into 'balls'...

Here, in his own time, the only things that existed were warriors, archers, farmers, nobles and royalties.

Then again, he thought, there is one more class... a class that only a select few are chosen to do.

Aura Guardians...

The hardest profession there is...

The bird couldn't understand the pokemon and humans who chose that line... in his opinion, the only end for an Aura Guardian was by being buried six feet under... their destiny was to protect people with their very lives!

The bird sighed. Maybe everything wasn't that bad in the future... the regions were finally at peace, no war raged between them, unlike this time period... although it has been quite peaceful for a time now... but who knows when it's going to change?

The Pidgey dived lower, it thought that it had spotted something to eat, hopefully it was not another Diglett this time...

Slowly it placed its feet on the ground, looking around hastily for any possible enemies. When there were none, it chirped happily and skipped around in search for something edible.

It thought it saw some kind of hole and jumped towards it, trying to look down into it.

Although, the hole was half-blocked by some kind of lump... and the lump seemed to grow and became a much bigger lump... and the lump seemed a little too human-ish for the Pidgey's taste...

The bird cried out in fright and took to the air before the human, who was hiding behind the bushes, could do something, why was everything happening to him?

* * *

The man cursed quietly to himself when the bird let out a loud cry, this was going to make it a lot harder.

He relaxed his muscles a bit when he saw that his target hadn't noticed him.

_This was the life__ that he had chosen..._

He looked at the person who stood outside a house that was built mostly of stone and mud. Her dark green hair was hanging down to her waist, swaying in the wind as though it were alive. Her blue eyes could look through any man who looked right into them.

She was dressed in a black kimono, a pair of sandals on her feet as she seemed to be doing some gardening in the garden in front of her house.

She was a very beautiful woman indeed, and was the subject of many mens' dreams... but those mens' dreams soon turned into nightmares when they got close to her...

_Looks can be deceiving..._

He didn't know much about her. The only thing he knew was she was 23 years old, her name was Sabrina, she lived by herself in the house behind her, and she was a witch... a witch whom someone had requested to be taken out...

The 18 year old man, with raven-colored hair that was poking out in every direction and reached down to his neck, slowly lifted the long, wooden bow in his hand. He judged the distance between them... maybe twenty meters, an easy shot...

_He didn't remember much about __his past life..._

He pulled out an arrow, with a shiny piece of metal at the tip of it, from his quiver at his waist, and put it on his bow...

The wood creaked a bit as he tensed the bow, feeling the pressure in his arms as though the arrow was almost impatient to be released.

_What he did remember he tried to forget..._

The wind blew slightly; it wouldn't affect the arrow at such a short distance.

He lifted the bow a little more, the arrow would pierce the woman's head, and she wouldn't even feel any pain...

_Some people called him a murderer..._

He could feel the slight pressure of the long-sword that was in its sheath on his back.

His brown leather shirt and pants were slightly sweaty, he had been waiting here for a long time... this was it, if he hit, it would be all over for her. If he missed, it would be all over for him...

_Others called him a hero..._

He hesitated, maybe the bow wasn't tensed enough... maybe it would only hit-... no, he couldn't let those thoughts enter his head now... he had done this many times before, and he wouldn't let the beautiful woman distract him into doing a fatal mistake...

_What did he call himself...?_

He took a deep breath, calming down his nerves like he always did before he would take a killing shot... This was it, she wouldn't even know what hit her, she wouldn't even be able to react...

Ash let go of the arrow, a soft a whistling sound was heard as it took air and headed straight towards the witch, Sabrina.

Then, suddenly, the arrow stopped mid-air, only a few centimeters from the woman's head.

"Shit..." Ash mumbled under his breath as he felt himself lose the control of his motor functions and being levitated out of the bush...

_He called himself... A Mercenary..._

* * *

_14 year earlier... Pallet Town..._

* * *

The old man, at the age of 68, stretched wearily. He was too old for this..

He slowly sneaked about in the forest, trying to not make a sound...

The gray haired man with white leather clothes quickly bent down... nothing...

He moved towards another rock, this one he was sure of...

"BOH!" He shouted, he then got a dumbfound face as he saw that there was nothing there.

"Alright, Ash, I give up!" Samuel Oak shouted as he got up again. "Where are you?"

"Here!" The four years old boy laughed as he jumped down from a tree, landing right on the professor's back.

"Argh!" The man shouted as he fell to the ground, with said four year old joining him. "Ash! I told you not to jump onto me! You know I'm too old to carry you these days!"

"Sorry, Mr. Oak..." The little boy with black hair looked down towards the ground guiltily.

The old man smiled, he couldn't possible stay mad at him with that look on his face. After all, he reminded him so much about his own grandson, Gary, who had been killed by those pillagers some years back. The man got a sad look on his face at the memory...

"Is something wrong, Mr. Oak?" The little boy asked curiously as he poked the man's leg, causing the old man to snap out from his thoughts.

"Uh? Oh, Ash..." Samuel forced a little smile onto his face. "Let's head back... I think your mother misses you."

"Oki doki!" The young child laughed. "Pichu! It's time to go home!"

The little, yellow mouse jumped down happily from the same tree and landed on the boy's shoulder, causing the boy to pull the mouse into a big hug.

Oak smiled at the sight, those two had only known each other for a year and seemed like they would be friends for a lifetime already. Nothing seemed to split them up.

"Let's go, son." The gray haired man took the boy's hand and started to lead them out from the forest. "There's something I want to show you."

"What?" The boy asked curiously with his eyes wide in excitement.

"That's a secret." Oak laughed and continued to lead him out.

* * *

"Mr. Oak... what's THAT?" Ash asked with big eyes as he looked at the wall.

"That, my child," Oak's smiled even wider when he saw the boy's expression. "is the Sword of Kanto!"

The little boy looked at the big sword, it was around 1½ meters in length, he could only see the brown, leathered handle along with the same-colored sheath, with a silver colored cross guard.

Samuel Oak lifted the sword down from the wall and took it out, the sharp edge glimmered in the sun as he held it up in front of the young boy.

"It's said that this sword can never be destroyed." Oak explained as he held it in front of Ash. "That this sword can be brought down against a stone without leaving so much as a mark on it!"

"Can I hold it?" The boy asked carefully and took a step towards it.

"Sure, son." Samuel nodded and handed the long-sword to the little boy.

The sword fell with a 'clang' on the ground as the boy used all the strength that he could muster to not let go of the handle.

Oak laughed, Ash was too young to carry such big sword, he knew it... even if the boy showed remarkable strength for his age.

"Mr. Oak..." The boy asked carefully after a while, the sword in Samuel's hands. "What does that inscription say?"

Oak looked at the strange letters that were inscribed on the broad end side of the blade.

"Well, I know how you pronounce it..." Oak smiled apologetic. "Although I don't know what it means..."

He then cleared his throat and read,

"_**Svärdet av Kanto är smitt av den röda drakens eld, format av den gröna dinosauriens piskor, och kylt av den blå sköldpaddans vatten**_"

There was a long silence after that, both the humans and pokemon tried to figure out what it meant.

"Sounds like crazy-talk to me!" The little child stated, with Pichu nodding its head in agreement.

The old man only laughed and stroked the boy's head. "Sure, sonny, sure..."

"Why do you have the Sword of Kanto here, Mr. Oak?" The little boy asked after a while.

The old man sighed and sat down on a chair, looking at the boy. "You see, Ash..." Another sigh. "I traveled a lot in my younger days and... I was not a very good person then, Ash... I... took things that didn't belong to me..."

The little boy's eyes widened, was the Village Elder, Samuel Oak, a thief?

"It was a very stupid thing that I used to do, Ash." Samuel cleared his throat. "Anyway, when I was traveling towards Pallet... I smelled something terrible, so I walked towards the smell to take a look..."

Oak didn't want to tell Ash about all the dead bodies that he had found laying there on the road, both human and pokemon.

"I found the sword on a man who... wasn't breathing anymore..."

The boy seemed to be in deep thought; he didn't utter a single word, until the little rodent cooed and rubbed its little cheek against the little boy's.

Ash, who had one of the most carefree minds in the region, quickly forgot the importance of Oak's story and laughed as he ran away to play with the little rodent.

The old man, Samuel, laughed sadly, before he sheathed the sword again and hung it up on the wall. He winced a little as he had to strain his back to hang it back up, he was really getting old...

* * *

"Mommy! I'm back!" The little boy cried out happily as he ran into the rather simple house that he lived in with his mum.

"Hello, dear!" His very beautiful mother, Delia, smiled at him and knelt down to take him into a hug. "Did you have fun in the forest?"

The little boy nodded happily, he eyes then widened.

"Mommy... who's that?" He pointed at the strange man who stood behind her.

The man was in his mid thirties. He was wearing black pants, a white undershirt, along with a dark blue coat and hat. His hair was the same color as well as style as Ash's, although Ash had never seen this man in his whole life... His hat was the thing that gained Ash's attention the most, it seemed strange somehow...

"Ash..." His mother hesitated. "This is Riley Gen..."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Riley!" The little child waved politely towards the man, earning a smile from said person. "What's he doing here, mommy?"

"You see..." Delia couldn't continue.

"I was a friend of your father." Riley helped her a bit. "I'm only here for a visit.

"You knew daddy?" The name of Ash's dad gained the boy's attention.

"Yes, I knew Sir Aaron." Riley sighed at the memory. "Would you let me have a word with your mother?"

"Oki doki!" The little boy laughed a bit before he ran outside. "Come on Pichu! We-... Pichu?"

The rodent didn't listen to him as the little mouse had ran up to Riley and looked at the two pokemon that stood behind him. Two blue pokemon that looked a lot like dogs who could stand on two legs.

"Ah, I see Pichu has found Lucario and Riolu." Riley smiled and stepped back, bringing the two pokemon into view.

The little boy's eyes widened. He had never seen those pokemon before.

"Lucario..." The boy paused to think, then he gasped. "That means you're an Aura Guardian!"

"That's right, Ash." Riley smiled weakly. "And I'm here to give you a present."

"Present?" The boy's ears perked up with those words.

"Yes, let me introduce you to a new friend:" Riley smiled and motioned to the shy Riolu to walk forward. "I'm going to leave Riolu here, and was wondering if you could help me take care of him?"

The little boy looked at his mouse, and then at the blue dog. Then he started to cheer along with the little rodent.

"Yay! I'm going to have a new friend!" He jumped around, causing Riley and Delia to laugh at the boy's antics, and Lucario to shake his head at them.

"_**Glad to know you like me, Ash!**_" The boy stopped cheering and looked around, confused.

"You said something?" He said as he looked at the big man, Riley shook his head.

"What? You heard something?" The Aura Guardian held his breath, waiting for the answer.

"Yeah... it was like a voice in my head..." Ash stated worriedly. "Mommy, am I sick?"

"Of course not!" Delia shooed away the idea quickly. "Ash, honey, why don't you go out and play with Pichu and your new friend?"

"Okay!" The little boy grabbed the two pokemon and ran out towards their garden, where laughter from both pokemon and human could be heard.

"I was right..." Riley stated as he watched Ash play with Pichu and Riolu. "He's just like Sir Aaron."

"You don't know that!" Delia snapped at him, causing Riley to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Why are you like that?" Riley asked with a big frown. "Why don't you want Ash to be like his father? His father sacrificed himself to save a whole kingdom!"

"I know..." Delia sniffed at the memory. "And I also know that I'll never see him again... and I don't want that to happen with my child as well!"

"That's understandable." Riley nodded. "But you can't keep him from his destiny! He was born to be a Guardian of the Aura!"

"How are you so sure...?" Delia hesitated; she really didn't want her Ash to join such a dangerous profession.

"Because..." Riley sighed. "That's Sir Aaron's Lucario's son..."

Delia gasped, with her hands over her mouth, as she looked at the Riolu that Ash was playing with, the descendant to her husband's partner...

"And Ash could feel the pokemon's Aura." Riley continued to state. "That makes those two a perfect match... they were MEANT to be partners!"

"I... I..." Delia didn't know what to say. "I... don't want you to take him so soon..."

"I can't train him to be an Aura Guardian at the age of four." Riley shook his head. "I'll wait six years, then, when he's ten, I'll come and take him."

Delia nodded, trying to hold down the lump in her throat. It was at the age of ten that children went to train their in their chosen professions, whether they wanted to be soldiers, council members... or Aura Guardians...

"Delia..." Riley put a hand on her shoulder. "You have to acknowledge that Ash has got a gift, a very special gift. Not even Aaron could communicate with his pokemon as soon as he met them... Ash is destined to do something big, I know that."

Ash's mother sighed; she knew she couldn't keep Ash from the real world all his life... she always knew he was destined to do something great, she only hoped it wouldn't mean that he would leave her forever...

"I'll drop in from time to time, Delia." Riley whispered. "Goodbye, for now..."

The woman only nodded as she saw the man leave, along with his Lucario.

"Ash!" Riley shouted, gaining the child's attention. "I'm going to leave now, take care! I'll see you soon!"

"Bye!" Ash waved energetically towards the man, making him smile.

Riley looked at the boy for a moment, then sighed and started to walk away.

"You know, Lucario..." The aura-pokemon looked at him.

"_**What, master?**_"

"He really reminds me of my teacher..." Riley sighed at the memory of Sir Aaron Ketchum, the hero of Kanto and Hoenn...

* * *

_One year later... Pallet Town..._

* * *

"Come on, Riolu!" Ash, at the age of five, shouted as he ran after the blue pokemon. "Give Pichu back his food!"

"Lou! Ri!" The pokemon only laughed as he continued to run.

"Pi-chu! Chuu!" The enraged rodent shouted as he sped up and knocked the aura-pokemon out of its path, giving Ash the opportunity to tackle Riolu to the ground.

"Got you!" The boy laughed along with Pichu as they held the Riolu down.

"_**Alright, Ash!**_" Riolu cried out in Ash's mind. "_**I give up!**_"

"You better!" Ash laughed, ignoring Pichu's confused look.

* * *

"You're sure it's here, boss?" A large, unshaved, man with greasy brown hair asked as he looked towards the little village.

"Of course I'm sure!" The 'boss' roared, enraged. "This will be an easy raid, only twenty humans and pokemon live here... and they're mostly just woman and children!"

"If you say so, boss." The man nodded. "You ready, Rhydon?"

His partner grunted, it was wearing a green band around his horn... symbolizing its affinity for the Yas Gang..

The gang's leader was wearing black from head to toe and had with very short brown hair, at his side stood a Scyther.

"Alright, guys!" The leader shouted at his men. "We're ten men with one pokemon each! Don't show mercy to anyone!"

His men roared as they charged, humans and pokemon swinging weapons and fists as they charged the peaceful, unsuspecting village...

* * *

"I'm hungry... what about you, guys?" The little child with black hair asked his friends as both pokemon nodded. "Let's go home then!"

Ash, Riolu and Pichu started to walk... or it was more like Ash and Riolu walked, while Pichu was riding on Ash's shoulder.

"Lou?" The aura-pokemon asked curiously as his ears perked up, along with Pichu's.

"Chuu..." The rodent responded with an equally confused face.

"What? What's the matter?" Ash wanted to know as he looked at the two pokemon. "Why do you both look like that?"

But, when they walked a little closer, he heard it too...

Screams, people and pokemon were both shouting for their lives as others laughed, the terrible sounds of fighting echoed through the air, causing Ash and the pokemon to tremble.

"Mom!" The sound of a woman's scream filled Ash with courage. He charged towards the village, with Riolu and Pichu hot on his heels.

He finally came out from the woods, only he wishes he hadn't...

Several houses were burning, some corpses were laying on the ground, both familiar and unfamiliar, both pokemon and human...

The little boy ignored the stench that burnt his nose from the blood and fire; he continued to run towards his house which was right next to Samuel Oak's house...

"Dragonite! Use Flamethrower!" The sound of Oak's voice made Ash run quickly in that direction, not caring what would happen to him.

He could see the Village Elder standing behind his partner, a big orange dragon. Around him lay two corpses, a pokemon and a human that Ash didn't recognize.

"You call that an attack?" The man that he was fighting laughed. "Rhydon! Use Take Down!"

The rock dinosaur roared as he charged towards the dragon.

"Avoid it, Dragonite!" Samuel shouted.

However, not only was Oak old, his pokemon was equally old, and equally weak...

The horn from Rhydon pierced the dragon's belly, causing it to cry out in great pain before its life ended. The pokemon was then thrown away, and landed on the fragile man.

"Weakling..." The man laughed. "Let's see what you've in that house of yours!"

"We need to do something." Ash ignored the feelings of panic that was building up inside him.

The two pokemon nodded. Riolu took the initiative and charged out of their hiding-place, with Pichu following right after.

The aura-pokemon's right paw began to glow a light blue color as he charged towards the big stone pokemon...

The little Pichu's body began to surround itself in a yellow aura that grew bigger and bigger with each step that it ran...

Riolu's Focus Punch hit his opponent straight in the throat, causing the pokemon to choke for air before it fell down in spasms.

The little mouse took a great leap, you could see the fear in the man's eyes as the yellow ball came closer and closer, till it finally smacked the man, hard.

Ash didn't know if the attack had killed the man or not, he only focused on getting to the old man, whom he saw as a second father.

"Mr. Oak!" Ash cried out and knelt at the side of the old man. "Are you hurt?"

The man forced out some laughter, he had to find it a little amusing to hear that question when a big dragon was laying on him.

"Yes, Ash, I'm afraid I am hurt..." The man coughed, Ash tried to push off the dragon... to no avail. "Ash... the... the..."

The little boy moved his face closer to the old man's, he didn't know if Oak couldn't speak due to the pain or sorrow for his dead partner.

"Yes, Mr. Oak?"

"Ash..." He took a big sigh and looked the boy straight into the eyes. "Take the sword... we... we can't let those bandits have it!"

"But, Mr. Oak, I-"

"GO!" Samuel mustered his remaining strength to shout words, then his life faded away beyond the shadows of reality...

"Mr. Oak...?" The little child could feel the tears run down his cheeks as he shook the man's lifeless body. "Mr. Oak? Please, wake up!"

"_**Ash...**_" He could hear Riolu's voice inside his head. "_**He's gone, there's nothing we can do...**_"

"No!" The little child shook his head. "He's not gone! He's resting!" He even ignored how the little rodent nuzzled its head into Ash's leg.

"_**Let's fulfill his last wish...**_" Riolu looked at the child. "_**Let's get that sword... that's the least we can do for him.**_"

The little boy only nodded and got up, he then started to run with tears still streaking down his face.

They ran into the house of, the now deceased, Samuel Oak. They continued into the room where the sword hung on the wall.

Ash climbed up on the chest that was placed under it and he carefully took it down. The boy's strength had grown a lot in a year; he could actually carry the big sword now if he rested the sheathed blade on his shoulder.

The trio then continued to run towards Ash's house, he would not leave his mother here as he fled!

He could see that his house was set alight and quickened his pace even more, not caring when his sandals slid off his feet and caused him to run barefoot on the rocky ground...

His heart beat faster and faster, he didn't know if it was out of exhaustion or fright.. probably both...

"Pichu pi!" The rodent called out and pointed its little paw towards something that lay on the ground. "Chu!"

"Mom!" The little child ran up to the corpse of his mother and Mr. Mime.

"_**Ash... I'm sorry...**_" The Riolu looked down towards the ground, tears falling from his eyes, Pichu too was sobbing into its little paws.

Ash, on the other hand, didn't cry. He only took the body into his arms and hugged her tightly refusing to let go.

His life had ended, and there was nothing that he could do about it. All those promises that she made, that they would be together forever... broken... What was he to do now?

"_**Ash, I can hear footsteps coming this way!**_" Riolu said in his mind. "_**We can't stay here!**_"

"What's the use...?" Ash asked with a depressed voice, not even Pichu had heard him talk like this. "What can we do? What have we left?"

"Pichu..." The little rodent cooed sadly. "Pichu, pi pi chu..."

"My, my, what have we here?" Riolu quickly turned around to face the man, it was the leader of the gang. "I must say... this village put up a lot more resistance than we thought... hell, I'm the only one that survived!"

"Lou! Ri!" The aura-pokemon barked, even if he knew that he didn't stand a chance against the man with the two short-swords...

"That's a nice sword you got there..." The man smirked as he saw the long-sword that was lying at Ash's side. "Why not let me have a look at it?"

The little child didn't even replying or even take any notice of the man, he only held tighter onto his mother's body.

Pichu and Riolu stood up against the man, both of them growling angrily... but the man didn't consider them a threat due to their small size.

"Alright, enough fooling around..." The man smirked once more and took a step towards them. "Give me the sword!"

"Rou!/Chu!" The pokemon cried out and was about to charge him.

The man laughed, what made those small pokemon think they had a chance again hi-

His whole body tensed, it felt like something was lodged between his shoulders... he looked around and could feel some extra weight on him... and he could see two beings behind him.

A blue dog-like pokemon who stood there with a serious, yet pitiful, expression when he looked at him... and a man who looked completely and utterly pissed off.

The leader felt the man's foot kick him in the chest, making him fall down to the ground on his back, and feel the blade, which was attached between his shoulders, go even deeper and pierce his heart... then everything went black...

Riley spat on the body, even if an Aura Guardian should show respect for everyone... he just couldn't show any compassion for the killer of his teacher's wife...

"_**Master, the child...**_" His Lucario communicated with him in a worried tone and made a gesture towards the small body at the side of the woman.

"Ash..." Riley tried to find the right words. "It's going to be alright..."

"NO!" The boy screamed with as much force as his lungs would allow. "It's not going to be alright! It's never going to be alright!"

"Ash..."

"I want REVENGE!" The little boy shouted as he carefully put his mother's head down on the ground, and then jumped up. "I want to KILL those who did it!"

"Ash... they're dead..." Riley sighed and got down to the boy's level. "You can't linger in the past, the past will destroy you."

"W- what do you mean?" Ash, who had finally calmed down, asked with uncertain eyes.

"Your mother's death is a terrible thing..." Riley said slowly he had never been good with children. "But you can't let it eat you up forever, you have to let go..."

"No!"

"Ash!" Riley shook the boy roughly. "Death is a common thing in these times! You're lucky to have lived in such a protected environment!"

The little boy started to cry, he cried for Dragonite, he cried for Mr. Mime, he cried to the rest of the people and pokemon in Pallet Town, he cried for Samuel Oak, and he cried for his mother...

Riley slowly put a hand on the boy's shoulder, and the boy hugged the Aura Guardian, which took him by surprise.

Pichu and Riolu came forward and started to hug their friend, trying to make the pain go away.

Riley knew that they couldn't stay here... he knew that one more look at the body of Delia would completely destroy the child.

The Aura Guardian sighed; he threw one more look at the once beautiful woman before he picked Ash up in his arms and walked away from the destroyed town of Pallet.

Lucario sighed as he looked over the scene, he then noticed something beside the woman's body. He walked up to it and picked up the long sword.

"_**Master, there's a sword here, what should I do with it?**_" The aura-pokemon asked his teacher.

"_**Ash must've carried it here... let's take it with us.**_" Riley communicated back to his pokemon, as he was already several meters away from the scene.

The Lucario nodded, held the sword more securely and caught up with his master, Riley seemed to have a thoughtful expression on his face.

"_**Master, what's wrong?**_"

"_**I don't want to leave him...**_" Riley sighed. "_**I don't want to be away from him now that he's so fragile...**_"

"_**Why not take him with us?**_" Lucario asked with a slight frown as he carried the long sword.

"_**You know we can't bring a child with us...**_" Riley sighed once again and looked at the sleeping child in his arms. "_**He would only be hurt...**_"

"_**What are we going to do with him then?**_"

"_**I'm going to ask Giovanni and Agatha if they can take care of him...**_" Riley looked straight forward with no emotion showing on his face.

"_**You mean King Giovanni and Queen Agatha?**_" Lucario asked with a frown. "_**The royal family of Kanto?**_"

"_**No less.**_" Riley nodded. "_**They have a son of about Ash's age there... maybe that can help with their understanding for our situation...**_"

"_**Maybe...**_"

Riley then looked at the sleeping boy in his arms.

"Don't worry, Ash..." He whispered to him. "You've a great destiny to fulfill... but, for now, you don't need to worry about it..."

**End of chapter 1**

* * *

**Alright, I know what my old readers are going to ask me... No, I don't "Enjoy" or "Like" to kill Delia! It's... complicated :P Nah, but seriously, I think something drastic needs to be made for Ash to change somewhat... And you don't have to worry, Ash won't be able to go on a personal vendetta (like one of my previous stories) since everyone died on the spot... but I won't reveal what will happen.**

**I hope you liked the beginning... there'll be some chapter about Ash when he's young... but I'll make several times-jumps, so it'll go rather quick before we'll see if he survives Sabrina's wrath, or not...**

**You might have read other Medieval Aura Guardian stories... but this one is different, since I'm actually going to end this one :P**

**It could be confusing in the start... so don't hesitate to ask if it's something you're wondering about (I've a tendency of forgetting write things that's necessary, in the chapter...)**

**It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

**R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! I'm sorry that this chapter's a little late... but I've been unable to update during a few days... **

**I don't really think it's necessary to say anything else than:**

**Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!  
**

* * *

Saffron City, the capital city of Kanto... A great wall surrounded the big city, and eversince that wall was built, nobody had ever managed to conquer the city...

Several houses and market-places were scattered all over the city, though most of the estates were built outside the wall. In the center of the city sat a big castle, the castle of the royal family of Kanto.

Riley looked towards the big wall as the guards immediately let him in due to his attire, all people showed respect for the Aura Guardians.

The Aura Guardian was still carrying the small boy in his arms, he had been asleep for more than 24 hours. The feeling of loss had completely sapped the poor boy's strength...

The man continued to walk slowly past the houses and marketplaces, ignoring the peoples stares of awe when he passed. Pichu, Riolu and Lucario were walking close behind him, two of them nervous and the other calm and proud.

He could now see the castle, two heavily armored guards stood at the door, one human with a spear and one Rhydon wearing a plate-armor. They looked suspiciously at the man as he came towards them.

"Halt!" The human said and held up his hand as the pokemon growled. "State your affairs here!"

"I'm here to meet with the king." Riley spoke quietly, but clearly, making the guards a little uncomfortable.

"Are they expecting you?" The guard with blond hair cleared his throat as he glared at the five beings. "Do they know that you want to meet them?"

"No..." Riley looked at them calmly while his aura was starting to send out irritated vibes. "They don't know... and that won't stop me either."

"Pardon?" The two guards looked at each other in confusion. "Sir, are you expecting us to just let you through? You can't be that naïve!"

"Who said about letting me?" Riley asked with a slight growl, he had no time for games, and took a step towards them.

The human and the Rhydon shivered, they knew that they didn't stand a chance against a Guardian of the Aura with his pokemon. They simply stepped aside, and let them pass, and then they ran towards the military barracks to call for reinforcements.

* * *

"Sir! You can't go in there!" A brown haired man's head snapped up from his thoughts as he heard his servants shout. He heard even more shouts, then silence...

The door was blasted apart with incredible force as the tall man in blue clothes stepped in, with the pokemon stepping in after him.

King Giovanni smiled slightly, Riley was never one to listen to orders...

"Sir Riley!" Giovanni laughed and stood up from his throne. "You know that you'll get killed if you continue do that?"

"Yes, my liege." Riley bowed in respect, even if he wasn't that fond of the king, he still needed to show his loyalty for the king of the region. "But I'll continue to do so as I'm in a hurry!"

"Really?" Giovanni, who was dressed in a rich red mantle and with royal blue robes, frowned. "Why the hurry?"

But before Riley had time to answer, shouting was heard from the other side of the room, another door was smashed open and thirty humans and pokemon, all armored and armed, charged in and surrounded the Aura Guardian. Lucario growled and set himself into a battle-position to defend his master. But Riley and Giovanni only laughed.

"That's enough, Lance!" The king laughed some more, looking at his red-haired captain. "Call back your soldiers, he's a friend."

"Yes, my liege." Lance still had his glare leveled at the Aura Guardian, he didn't trust him one bit. "May I leave some soldiers here for your safety?"

"I will hear no such thing!" Giovanni shouted at him. "How DARE you question the authority of your king and a Guardian of the Aura?"

"Forgive me, my king!" Lance quickly bowed his head. "But he didn't listen to my guards and barged in he-"

"That's an ORDER, Lance!" Giovanni roared at him, causing the captain to sigh and recall his troops before he walked out of the room. "Sorry about that, Riley. Lance's good man, he's just suspicious of everyone who's not part of the royal family."

"I see..." Riley looked at the smashed in door that the soldiers had left behind. "And he seems to like to make grand entrances too..."

The king only laughed at the Guardian's statement, but then he got a serious look.

"Now, Riley, why did you come here?" Giovanni finally asked and eyed the raven haired man. "And what are you carrying in your arms?"

The Aura-user sighed and walked up to the king, then he carefully placed the sleeping being in front of him.

"He looks like a peasant..." Giovanni stated with a hint of disgust. "Why did you bring him here?"

"His village was plundered by bandits, king." Riley sent him a glare. "He was the only survivor."

Giovanni sighed.

"We've been having problem with plunderers over the whole region..." He looked at the boy once again. "It's a sad story... but it still doesn't explain why you brought him to my castle."

"I brought him here..." Riley sighed and hoped it would work. "I brought him here because... I was hoping that you, and Queen Agatha, could take care of him for a while..."

"'A while'?" Giovanni asked with a frown, he already knew his answer. "How long is 'a while'?"

"Five years..." Riley's head hung low as he spoke.

"Five years!" Giovanni's shout echoed in the hall at those words. "Are you expecting me to take care of a boy, who's not mine, for five years?"

"Yes." The Aura Guardian simply stated.

"Give me one goo-" Giovanni was interrupted by a woman's voice.

"Vanni? Is something wrong?"A woman, about Giovanni's age, 48 years old, walked into the room with a confused look as her dress's train was being held by one of the chamber maids. "Riley? It's good to see you!"

"Same here, my queen." Riley nodded with a slight smile, this may be his last chance...

"Riley was just going to leave, weren't you?" Giovanni asked with a rather hard glare.

"Well...-"

"Leave? Why's that?" Agatha asked with a calm smile, she then saw the sleeping boy. "And why's that poor child lying on the cold ground? He could catch a cold!"

"It's best he get used to it..." Riley got a sad look on his face, which he faked. "Since he's going to travel with me..."

"What? Is he your child?" Agatha asked with a confused look on her face as she walked up to the child, lifted him up and carried him to her throne which she sat on before setting the child onto her lap.

"No, he's not my child." Riley's sigh wasn't fake this time though. "His family and friends were slaughtered by bandits a few days ago..."

Agatha gasped, she tightened her grip around the sleeping boy and looked at Giovanni.

"I told you to stop those plunderers! Look what they've done!"

"Agatha, please." Giovanni looked at her with pain in his eyes. "If I could, I would... but there're too many and they're too good at hiding... it's impossible!"

Agatha simply ignored him and focused her attention towards the Aura Guardian.

"So, Riley, please tell me." She said as the man in front of her shifted uncomfortably. "Why are you here?"

"I was wondering if you could take care of the boy." Riley stated, he wasn't about to go beating around the bush. "He can't come with me and you only need to look after him for about five years."

"Of course we can!" Agatha smiled in a way that only a great queen could as she started to stroke the sleeping boy's head. "That will be no problem at all!"

"Agatha!" Giovanni had to interrupt before she said anything more. "We can't take care of a peasant-child!"

"Why not?" Agatha asked with a hard glare that would cause even the bravest warrior to tremble.

"Because he's a commoner! He's a nobody!"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Giovanni and Agatha jumped in their thrones as the furious and loud voice of the Aura Guardian echoed through the room. "HOW DARE YOU CALL SIR AARON'S CHILD A NOBODY?"

"S-Sir Aaron?" Giovanni looked carefully at Riley. "He's the child of Sir Aaron Ketchum?"

"He's Ash Ketchum, child of Delia and Sir Aaron Ketchum, future Guardian of the Aura." Riley growled and looked at Giovanni with malice. "I will not let you ruin either Ash's, Sir Aaron's or Delia's name in my presence... choose your next words carefully, because they could be your last..."

"Are you threatening me?" Giovanni barked out, he was a proud man and never bowed to anyone. "How dare you even-"

"Oh, be quiet, both of you!" Agatha snapped, causing the males to look at her. "You're going to wake the child!"

Riley hung his head in shame, hoping that Ash didn't hear any of his outburst. But the little boy seemed to still be fast asleep.

"D... does he know about his... destiny?" Giovanni asked carefully, still not completely forgiven by Riley.

"No, he doesn't even know what his father did." Riley shook his head. "He doesn't know that he's the son of an Aura Guardian."

"Why not?"

"He's just a child!"

"A child that you're planning to leave in our care!"

"Yes." Riley simply nodded and looked at Giovanni. "I'm going to ask you again: Will you look after Ash, until he's ten, while I'm away?... please?"

Giovanni closed his eyes, he then opened them and looked at the sleeping boy in Agatha's arms, his gaze then moved towards Riley and the three pokemon.

"Alright, five years..." Giovanni sighed. "But, I hope you understand: I can't treat him as my own child... his mother was still a... peasant..."

"I understand." Although Riley didn't really understand Giovanni's logic, but since he accepted the boy, Riley would be grateful. "I need to keep going... I hope that you understand that this Pichu and Riolu will be staying with Ash while he's here."

Giovanni opened his mouth to protest, but Agatha got there before him.

"Of course! They're more then welcome!"

The little rodent and aura-pokemon both jumped onto Agatha with happy glees, causing her to laugh and hug both the boy and the pokemon.

"Thank you..." Riley smiled as he felt a slight pain in his heart at the sight. "If you don't mind... I would like to have a few words with Ash before I leave."

"Of course." Agatha smiled, she could feel some water build up in her eyes as she handed the child to Riley.

"Ash...?" Riley carefully shook the boy, causing him to stir.

"Mr. Riley?" Ash asked groggily, he then looked around the big hall. "Where are we?"

"We're at the castle of Kanto." Riley smiled weakly. "I'm here to present you to your new foster-parents... King Giovanni and Queen Agatha."

The boy's eyes became as big as saucers as he looked at the royalties of Kanto, he immediately did a clumsy bow towards them. He then, to Giovanni's irritation, turned his attention back to Riley.

"What's 'foster-parents'?" The boy asked in confusion. "And where's mommy? I had a dream that she-"

"Ash..." Riley swallowed the lump in his throat. "It wasn't a dream... your mother's... gone..."

The little child got such painful expression on his face that no child should be able to have, but he didn't cry, he only stood there in pain and the man couldn't do anything.

"Ash..." Riley decided that the quicker he said this the better it would be. "King Giovanni and Queen Agatha are going to take care of you, until I'm back."

"When will you be back?" The boy asked through his pain.

"Five years..." Riley was ashamed for the answer that he had to give the boy.

The boy nodded bravely, he really was the son of Sir Aaron. Ash then took Riley into a hug, weeping on his shoulder, making even Giovanni to feel ashamed of himself.

The departure was painful for everyone. Even if Riley never cried he could feel tears build up in his eyes as he said goodbye to the child, even Lucario couldn't help but feel great sadness.

"Bye, Ash..." Riley sighed. "Take care..."

Then he, and his Lucario, turned and walked out of the room, and subsequently out of the castle.

Riley walked past the guards, who sent him irritated glares, his head bowed in thought.

"_**Master!**_" Lucario said, making Riley's head to snap up.

"_**Yes, Lucario?**_"

"_**The sword!**_"

"_**What about the sword?**_"

"_**Shouldn't we've left it to Ash?**_"

"_**That's what we're doing.**_" Riley explained in a slow voice as he felt the sword in his hands.

"_**Master, what are you saying?**_" Lucario asked in confusion as he watched his partner carry the item in question out of the town.

"_**This is the Sword of Kanto.**_" Riley stated, ignoring Lucario's gasp. "_**And since Ash is left with the Royal family of Kanto there's no way that he would've been able to keep it... it's up to us to guard it for him while he's there.**_"

"_**You really think King Giovanni would take the sword from him?**_" Lucario asked with a frown, he was starting to dislike that man more and more. "_**Why?**_"

"_**That sword actually belongs to the royalties of Kanto...**_" Riley sighed. "_**But I reckon that Ash deserves the sword more than they do...**_"

"_**That Giovanni... he's evil!**_" Lucario mentally said to his master in an angry tone.

"_**No, Lucario.**_" Riley shook his head slowly. "_**He's not evil... he needs to do what he does since Kanto's not a peaceful region... He's hated by those who don't understand that, sometimes, you have to fight fire with fire…**_"

"_**I see...**_" Lucario said, finally understanding what his partner was saying. He understood that Ash's stay would might not be that easy in the castle...

"_**Ash...**_" Lucario tried to reach Ash's aura with his own, although he was not sure if the message got through. "_**Whatever happens... remember, you're the son of Sir Aaron, the strongest Aura Guardian of all time...**_"

* * *

"Well, Ash..." Giovanni looked at the small boy who was standing there, along with Pichu and Riolu. "You're now a non-permanent member of the royal family of Kanto."

"Okay." The boy smiled a bit, his mother's death still haunted him, but he knew that she wouldn't have wanted him to feel such pain.

"'Okay'?" Giovanni asked with a blank look. "How dare you talk to the ruler of Kant-"

"Oh, zip it, Gio!" Agatha laughed as she knelt down to the boy's level. "Hello, Ash, I'm Agatha."

"Hi, Agatha!" Ash smiled at the nice woman, she seemed much better than that king.

"Now, don't listen to that mule over there." She winked at the giggling boy. "You're more than welcome to our family! We actually have a son at your age, and a daughter a year younger!"

"Really?" Ash asked with big eyes, he had actually never met a person his age before; he was the youngest in the village. "What're their names?"

"You want to meet them?" Agatha asked with a smile towards the boy.

Ash nodded happily, of course he wanted to meet his new friends.

"Alright then!" Agatha got up and took the boy's hand carefully and led him towards another room of the castle.

* * *

The boy looked at the other two people in the room with his head tilted slightly.

The first one, a boy in Ash's age, had auburn hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in some kind of tight costume, that Ash found slight amusing. On the boy's shoulder sat a Pikachu with some hair on its head sticking out, seemingly done by professional groomers or breeders. He looked at Ash with a look that he couldn't comprehend, but it was probably because Ash was dressed in torn clothes and sandals...

The girl, on the other hand, was very pretty, in Ash's opinion anyway, she had brown hair and blue eyes, although she was dressed a little more 'common-ly' than the boy, she had a red skirt that reached down to her feet with a purple sweater, she also had some kind of blue shoes. The looks she gave Ash was not one of disgust, on the contrary...

"Let me introduce you to..." Agatha smiled as she walked up to her children. "This is Richard, our son who's the same age as you."

The boy nodded suspiciously, he didn't like that fact that this peasant was of such interest to his mother...

"And this..." Agatha smiled as she saw the girl's blushing face. "This is our daughter... Leafiona!"

"Kids..." Agatha did a dramatic pause. "This is a boy who's going to stay with us for a while... his name's Ash!"

"Greetings/evening." Said Richard and Leafiona, politely, at the same time.

"Hi, Leaf! Hi, Richie!" Ash smiled and waved at them, causing a vein appear on Giovanni's head.

"Ash!" Giovanni roared, making the boy jump. "They're not named 'Richie' and 'Leaf'! It's Richard and Leafiona!"

"But that's far too long to say...!" Ash whined as he looked at the man in front of him. "Why can't I call them that?"

"Because-"

"Oh, Gio!" Agatha laughed and hushed him at the same time. "Let the boy call them what he wants... as long as they don't mind the names, do you?"

The girl, Leafiona, shook her head with a blushing face. Richard just shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever..." Giovanni mumbled in a very un-royal-ish way. "However... we can't call you 'Ash' and also be a member of our family... we need to give you a better name..."

"What's wrong with my name?" Ash asked irritated. "My mom gave me that!"

"And it works, for a peasant!" Giovanni argued back, which was slightly humorous sight to see. "But you can't use it for a royal name!"

"Who said I wanted to be a royal?" Ash asked with a tilted head as he looked towards the big man, causing Giovanni to drop his chin.

"How... how..." He stuttered, but was again interrupted by Agatha.

"Oh, knock it off, both of you!" She shook her head at them. "Of course Ash will keep his name... but I have to agree, we can't call you 'Ash' in public... I say we call him 'Ashton'!"

"'Ashton'..." Giovanni seemed to think, he then nodded. "That's a good name, you'll be using it now."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!/Chu!/Lou!"

Giovanni sighed as he saw the the little boy's pokemon had also joined in the argument.

"I don't have time for this..." He muttered and walked out. "Children, show our guest around."

Agatha sighed, why did her husband always have to be that stubborn? She only gave the little boy a hug, and then her other children too, before she followed her husband out.

Ash, Pichu and Riolu were left there with Richard, and his Pikachu, and Leafiona and her Bulbasaur. The two children were giving him strange looks, which made Ash feel uncomfortable.

"Um... Hello...?" Ash waved his hand a little. "Is something wrong?"

"Who ARE you?" Richard asked after a while, his eyes filled of disbelief. "And what are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for Mr. Riley!" Ash stated with a proud smile as he remembered the Aura Guardian. "He said he would come and pick me up after a while!"

"Sir Riley would pick YOU up?" Richard asked with a big frown as he eyed the boy. "You're nothing but a peasant! Why would he want anything to do with you?"

"I don't know..." Ash seemed to think, then he saw the other pokemon. "That's a nice Pikachu and Bulbasaur that you guys have!"

"I know." Richard's head was lifted a little higher in the air as he introduced his pokemon. "This is Sparky, he's my best and only friend!"

"Hi, Sparky!" Ash waved towards the pokemon, along with Pichu and Riolu. But the bigger rodent seemed to ignore them as he was busy grooming itself.

"We don't have time for you." Richard stated as he walked out from the room. "You have to prove that you belong in this family... goodbye!"

"Well... then it's a problem..." Ash said to himself as he saw Richard leave the room. "Since I don't belong to this family..."

"Don't mind him." The girl, Leafiona, said as she walked up to Ash, a little too close for the boy's comfort. "Hi! I'm Leaf!"

"I thought your name was Leafiona...?" Ash asked carefully as he took a step back.

"Yeah... but I like your name better!" She stated and took two steps closer, causing their faces to be only centimeters apart. "Can I call you Ash?"

"Okay..." The boy gulped as he was backed against the wall and the girl's face only came closer and closer. Ash then noticed something. "Excuse me... but what's that thing on your face?"

The little girl grew pale, gasped then blushed, and finally put her hands over her face and ran away, screaming for her chamber-maid to hide the thing on her face.

"_**What was the thing on her face, Ash?**_" Riolu asked with a confused look.

"I think it was a freckle..." Ash seemed to be in deep thought. "She was really a strange girl... but, at the same time, the only one who's closest to normal in this family..."

"Chu! Pichu-pi!" The little rodent stated as he jumped onto the boy's shoulder.

"Pichu's right." Ash nodded. "I want to take a look around in the castle!"

The trio then walked out of the royal hall, and followed the hallway down until they came to a rather greasy door, which from the sounds of it, sounded like that there were a lot of people working beyond it.

"Maybe we can find some friends in here!" Ash suggested and his pokemon cheered as he opened the door.

The shouts grew louder as the door opened and the boy walked inside. Many people in white aprons and yellow clothes were running around, cooking up all sorts of things that he had never seen before!

The little boy walked up to a man who seemed to be cooking something, he was a little shorter than the king but he had, according to Ash, a much friendlier face than said king.

"Hello? Excuse me?" Ash tugged at the man's leg, causing him to look down towards the boy and the pokemon.

"What are you doing here, kid?" The cook asked with a kind voice.

"I'm just looking around!" Ash stated with a happy smile. "Hello! I'm Ash... but King Giovanni says my name's Ashton now and-"

"Ashton? You're their adoptive son?" The cook shouted out, causing the whole room to go silent and everyone's' eyes to turn towards the child. "What in Ho-Oh's name are you doing here? This is no place for royalties to be in!"

"Why not?" Ash asked with confusion, making some of them laugh.

"Because, this is the place where we work." The cook explained with a kind, yet slightly nervous, smile. "If you want something, just order one of the servants to get it for you."

"Why do I need to ask someone to get something that I can get myself?" Ash asked with a slight frown, along with Pichu. Riolu, however, who had seen some of the world, only shook his head in slight amusement.

"But, prince Ashton!" The cook declared. "This is no place for a royalty to be! This is dirty-work!"

"Stop it!" Ash screamed, making the whole room go silent again and look at him. "I'm NOT a prince, and my name's ASH, not Ashton! Ash!"

"But, sir-"

"No!" Ash shook his little head furiously. "I don't want this! I don't like this! You talk to me like I'm better than you! I'm not! Why are you doing it?"

"We're doing it, because we need to obey the royal family of Kanto." The cook explained. "You're under the king's care, which makes you a royalty!"

"I don't wanna be a royalty!" Ash screamed, causing some of the people in there to chuckle a bit. "I'm not royalty! I'm a human!"

The cook laughed and got down to Ash's level and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You are truly one of a kind, Ash." The cook smiled. "This place would be a much better place if people thought like you."

"Thanks!" The little child laughed, happy that he had made some new friends. "What's your name?"

"Mikael." The cook smiled even bigger. "If you want something, just ask me."

"Okay, Mikael!" Ash laughed. "I want to explore this huge building some more... bye!" He waved to the rest of the people in there, and everyone waved back at him.

"You're exactly like your father, Ash Ketchum..." Mikael smiled to himself as he saw the boy leave the kitchen.

* * *

"I told you that we would find friends here, didn't I?" Ash laughed along with his two pokemon as they continued to walk down the hallway. "What do you think is in there?"

He made a gesture towards a door, which seemed more like a small gate.

"_**I don't know, Ash...**_" Riolu seemed to think. "_**Why not take a look?**_"

"Alright!" Ash nodded and continued to walk towards the door.

When he was there he opened it, his mother never taught him to knock since they didn't need that in their little village.

The little boy poked his head into the room and got wide eyed at what he saw.

A shiny armor stood at a podium, looking like it had been used recently. A shield with the emblem of Kanto and a sword with a golden hilt were placed against the armor, looking like it belonged to a great warrior.

"Who goes there?" A voice demanded, causing Ash to jump high into the air.

"I-I'm Ash!" The boy stuttered and looked towards the gestalt in the shadows.

"Ash, huh?" The voice softened a little. "Shouldn't it be Ashton?"

"Nope!" The boy shook his head with a smile. "I like Ash better!"

"So do I!" The man laughed at the child's antics. "It's nice to meet you, Ash. My name's Lance, I'm the captain of Kanto's army."

The man emerged from out of the shadows. Ash could see his spiky red hair and strict face.

The man walked up to Ash, inspecting him closely, then doing the same to his two pokemon.

"I must say... you look a lot like your father." The captain smiled as he sat himself in a chair.

"My father?" Ash asked with big eyes. "You knew him?"

"I served under him as a soldier in many battles." Lance smiled at the memories. "He was a great leader and commander, never lost a battle under him!"

"I've never met him..." The boy's eyes grew sad, and Lance noticed it.

"You didn't need to meet him." Lance smiled. "You're exactly like him, a great person, a strong leader!"

"Leader?"

"The pride of the Aura Guardians!" Lance frowned as he saw the look on the boy's face. "Ash, what's the matter?"

"My... my father... was an Aura Guardian?" Ash asked in shock as he looked at the captain.

"Yes... didn't you know?" Lance asked with a confused look, that had irritation written all over it as Ash shook his head. "By Mew! What right did they have to not let you know of your great father?"

"He was really that great?" Ash asked hesitatingly, this man actually scared him a bit.

"Great? Son, great isn't enough." The captain shook his head. "He was... nobody can describe the courage and honor that he had, he sacrificed himself to save a while kingdom!"

"How?"

Lance sighed, he motioned the boy to sit himself down on a chair next to him, then he started with his story.

"It happened about six years ago..." He thought back to the times' past, it's unbelievable how fast war comes and goes. "Sinnoh and Johto were in a raging war, and they were about to end it in the, then relatively weak, nation of Hoenn."

Ash nodded, he had heard about those regions.

"Anyway... Queen Rin, a woman who's beauty would make any man speechless." Lance shook his head, her destiny was a real waste. "Queen Rin refused to give them any permission to have a war in her region... but both nations ignored her and charged through her land with their forces towards each other, right outside her castle!"

Lance paused, he looked at the boy who was eager to hear more.

"Your father, Sir Aaron, was on a quest in that area when it happened... he did all in his power to talk sense into the rulers of those regions... although both the Berlitz- and Sketchit-families refused to listen... No living man had ever seen such great armies; the earth shook as they marched past. Pokemon and humans, all of them dressed in hard and heavy armor, armed to their teeth!"

"How could my father stop such armies?" Ash asked in confusion, maybe Lance was only making this up... "He was alone!"

"He was not alone." Lance shook his head. "He had his Lucario with him... although, no man could stand a chance against such armies..."

"What happened then?" Ash asked eagerly, he wanted to find out what had happened to his father. "What did he do?"

"Nobody knows..." Lance sighed. "The only thing we do know is that your father's Pidgeot came back with a scepter which he usually carried... and when the queen touched it, a green light emerged from it and stopped the two armies... Ash, your father sacrificed himself to the Tree of Beginning, the tree of life! It was he who stopped the two armies, he saved whole regions and the life of a million beings!"

"But..." Ash was confused, he didn't understand the story. "How come the armies stopped fighting?"

"We don't know..." Lance shook his head. "But, from what we've heard of them, they said that they were filled with some kind of light, a light that told them to ignore their orders and return home... and that's what they did."

"What happened then?" Ash wanted to know. "What happened to Queen Rin?"

Lance sighed again, but this one was a lot heavier than the others.

"The people there started to blame the whole event on her... she was a queen of peace, not war, and they found her weak when danger was close to the door... Ash, you must understand, those people had all lost someone during that time and wanted revenge." He could see how the child nodded in understanding and continued. "A revolution broke out, Rin's daughter managed to escape, nobody knows where she is now, but Rin... she was executed by the people who were blinded by hate..."

"What happened to Hoenn then?"

"A man, who had led the revolution, by the name of Archie Shu, took the throne and declared himself king, his wife queen and son prince..." Ash couldn't help but notice the dislike in Lance's tone. "Now, don't get me wrong, they actually managed to make the region great in a really short period of time... but the people're not happy there, they suffer and many of them tries to escape... but Shu's soldiers are guarding the borders to the other regions... and attempting to escape from the region is an automatic death penalty... although some people do manage to get out... but many do not."

Ash sat there in silence for a while, there was too much information in such a short time, but he didn't want it any other way.

"So..." Ash finally spoke after a while. "It was the Berlitz and Sketchit families that killed my father? It was their fault?"

"Nobody killed your father, Ash." Lance smiled weakly. "It was his own choice to sacrifice himself. The Berlitz and Sketchit learned from that sacrifice, they've not been in any more wars since that time, and they're planning to have it stay that way."

"What about Kanto and Hoenn?" Ash asked with a slight insecure voice. "It's peaceful here too, right?"

"Sometimes..." Lance sighed. "They blame us, since Rin's family came from Kanto some generations back, so they do small skirmishes every now and then. The Shu-family has sworn not to rest before Kanto has paid for their debt. Ash, every child in Hoenn is raised to hate Kanto-people... you need to remember that when you're going to leave here."

"Leave?" Ash asked dumbfounded. "How did you know that I'm going to leave?"

"You're the son of Sir Aaron!" Lance laughed, happy that they had changed the subject. "You're going to leave and train your aura... and I wouldn't be surprised if Riley took you on as his apprentice, since he was your father's."

"Mr. Riley trained under my father?" Ash asked with big eyes.

"Sir Riley, Ash." Lance smiled. "That's the funny thing with you Aura Guardians... as soon as you get the title 'Guardian of the Aura' you automatically get raised to the ranks of the nobilities!"

"I don't want that!" Ash shook his head. "They're weird!"

"Trust me, you've no idea how many Aura Guardians have said that." Lance laughed and patted the child on the back. "By the way, can you communicate with your Riolu yet?"

"What? Oh, I could do that as soon as I met him!" Ash declared proudly, not noticing how Lance had dropped a book he was holding in surprise.

"What?" The captain asked dumbfounded. "Ash! It takes years for a child with the Aura-ability to do that!"

"Really?" Ash looked towards Riolu, who just shrugged. "We don't think so."

"Well... maybe it's possible..." Lance looked at Ash and then at Riolu. "Riolu, tell me, are you the son of Sir Aaron's Lucario?"

The blue dog-pokemon only gulped and nodded carefully, avoiding the look of disbelief Ash was sending him.

"Why didn't you say anything, Riolu?" Ash asked in a sad tone.

"_**Lucario told me not to, Ash!**_" Riolu answered in an equally sad tone. "_**I'm sorry... but he didn't want you to know for some reason...**_"

"It's okay, Riolu, I forgive you." Ash smiled.

Lance smiled also, it was unbelievable how mature the boy seemed at such young age, although it might also be due to the fact that he hung around with mature people…he didn't know.

"Hey, Ash, Pichu and Riolu." He got the trio's attention right away. "Have you seen the whole castle yet?"

"All of the south, west and east side of the palace!" Ash exclaimed proudly, they had scouted the building really well. "We didn't have time to look at the north side..."

"Come on, let me show you." Lance smiled and led the human and pokemon out from his room, towards the north side of the castle. "I think you'll like that side, your father did..."

* * *

The north side was the outdoors, a large park like place with a square platform in the middle. The park ,which consisted of sand, a small forest and a pond, were all visible when they stood on the balcony of the room.

"This, Ash, is the park and training ground of the castle!" Lance exclaimed proudly as he made a gesture to the area. "It's only for the royals to use... but they rarely ever come here though..."

"Why is that?" Ash asked in confusion, who wouldn't want to be at such beautiful park?

"Because, they don't think they need to train anything in the outdoors..." Lance mumbled quietly, in case someone else heard them. "They think everything is inside their minds... they are correct, of course, but they still need to be able to move and defend themselves."

"Why?"

"Ash, there are two different kinds of great men." Lance explained slowly. "There are those such as King Giovanni, who's a good leader at a distance... and there are those like your father, who brings victory by running to the front lines of his army, ready to face death."

"But-"

"Ash, King Giovanni has never been to the battlefield before, he doesn't know the horrors of war like I do... those who read about in books and hear people sing songs about them and tell tales... In the books, war is heroic, dramatic, and sometimes beautiful..." Lance shook his head in disdain. "Let me tell you this, Ash: War is never beautiful, it's never heroic or dramatic, it's not a good thing at all... all you gain with war is a short period of glory... and death..."

Then, to Lance's big surprise, the boy nodded understanding. The little child of five years understood something that some people wouldn't understand in their whole life, and that surprised Lance a great deal.

"Ah, captain Lance, Ashton!" The two males, and pokemon, looked towards the source of the sound and saw King Giovanni and Prince Richard coming towards them. "Good to see you here!"

"What can I do for you, sire?" Lance bowed deeply, showing his respect.

"Well, you see..." Giovanni paused. "Richard is five years old... and... when I was young the mind was everything that mattered... but now, the women tends to fall for strong men, not the intelligent ones."

"I have to disagree with you on that, my lord." Lance looked slightly amused at the troubled king. "You can't say that all women fall for strong soldiers instead of learned men... although I can see how you think that of the princesses."

Ash didn't need to ask what he meant by that. After Lance's explanation about people's perceived vision of war, and his mother's stories about lonely princesses, he could easily understand how many of those girls' only contact with the outer world would be of books of heroes that fought in ancient battles...

"Yes, you can put it that way." Giovanni sighed. "And, since you're one of the most skilled warriors in Kanto, I ask you to train Richard in any way possible."

"I would be an honor, my liege." Lance bowed again, but Ash could see him smile. "Although, my king, there's a slight problem..."

"Well, what is it?" Giovanni demanded.

"Since it would never strike me as a thought of facing Kanto's prince in combat, I cannot train with him..." Lance did a dramatic pause and smirked. "However... Ashton would be the perfect opponent for Prince Richard, don't you think?"

"Fine, Lance, I don't know what kind of game you're playing at... but I'll agree to it for now." Giovanni sighed. "Now, show me what the boys got!"

"Sir?"

"I want to see them in a battle, is that so hard to understand?" Giovanni glared a little at the captain.

"A real battle?"

"Of course not!" The king barked angrily. "With wooden swords and no excessive force!"

"Yes... sire..." Lance didn't like the idea. He could easily tell that Ash had never wielded a sword before. Richard, however, had fought with practice fights against other nobilities around his age... it wasn't going to be a fair fight.

* * *

"Alright, Ash..." Lance sighed as he had a quick talk with Ash on his side of the field. "You don't need to do this; I doubt you'll stand much of a chance against him."

"Don't worry, Lance." Ash was really nervous, but he refused to show it. "First impressions always count, right?"

"Right." Lance smiled and tousled the young boy's hair before he handed him the short wooden sword.

"Alright!" Lance raised his voice so everyone could hear him. Several spectators had come to watch the mock-battle between Ashton and Richard, among them Queen Agatha and Princess Leafiona, and the cook by the name of Mikael... "Let's keep it simple, the first one who's struck by the other's weapon loses the match, is that clear? Good... begin!"

Ash gulped as he saw the self-confident Richard spin the wooden-sword in his hand, he knew that he wouldn't get hurt... but he didn't like the thought of losing in front of all those people.

"_**Hiya! Ash! How's it going?**_" He heard a voice inside his head. But he couldn't answer him, as people would think he was crazy. "_**Oh... I see... try and focus on me and think something!**_" The aura-pokemon suggested.

"_Like this?_" Ash thought as he closed his eyes and imagined the little Riolu.

No answer...

"_**Hello?**_" He didn't focus on the pokemon's looks now, he focused on his nature, his mind and his spirit. "_**Can you hear me?**_"

"_**Loud and clear, Ash!**_" The little pokemon laughed joyfully.

"_**That's good.**_" Ash thought back. "_**I'm going to need something that keeps my focus away from the humiliation.**_"

"_**Humiliation?**_" Riolu asked in confusion. "_**What humiliation?**_"

"_**For when he defeats me!**_"

"_**IF he defeats you!**_"

"_**I've never fought before!**_"

"_**I can guide you!**_"

"_**Yeah? How?**_"

"_**Well... for starters... DODGE!**_"

Ash quickly bent down, avoiding the sweeping sword that passed over his head, it was very close as it would hit his throat if he didn't!

The young boy looked around, it seemed like he had been in his own world as he talked to Riolu. People were shouting and chanting, Lance stood there with his arms crossed and had his eyebrows raised, impressed by Ash's dodge.

"_**Alright, Ash, let's take this rich-boy down!**_" Riolu laughed in his head as Ash didn't let his eyes leave the circling prince.

"_**What are we gonna do?**_"

"_**He's going to strike from the right side, aiming for your stomach**_." The blue pokemon explained. "_**It would be best to block it with your sword and then push him away**_**."**

"_**How do you know?**_"

"_**He's focusing his gaze on that spot and has his left foot in front of him... block, now!**_"

Ash did as the pokemon ordered and put his sword up so it protected his side. He could hear people gasp and feel the hard pressure of the other sword as the two wooden-objects smashed into each other. Ash was now facing the prince in close quarters, with both swords locked, he did as his pokemon had told him and put a foot on the prince's leg and pushed him away.

Mikael and Lance smirked as they saw the proud prince land on the ground, getting dust all over himself.

"_**That's the way!**_" Riolu cheered, Ash could hear Pichu in the background. "_**Now, it's our turn to attack!**_"

"_**Just tell me what to do.**_" Ash, who was starting to enjoy this, smirked, the sword felt actually right in his hand.

"_**Walk slowly towards him, but don't let your sword down, focus on his right side but look discretely to his left**_." Riolu explained with a smile as he watched Ash move towards the prince. "_**Good! Now comes the hard part, you need to strike his left side, but not too fast! If not he would be able to take you with him, and not too slow either, since he can then strike you first, make it such that he has to block the blow and then kick his leg away**_!"

Ash did as he was told and swung the sword towards the prince's left side, Richard got a terrified look on his face as he saw the sword come in from the wrong direction and quickly put his sword in front of him and blocked the blow.

But, when the prince thought he was safe for the moment, Ash moved closer and swept his foot through his legs, causing Richard to fall down onto the ground again.

Ash then held his wooden-sword against the prince's throat, as a signal for him to give up.

"Prince Richard's not able to battle!" Lance declared with a smile. "Ashton wins the match!"

People started to cheer and Ash liked the sound of it, although he started to appreciate it a lot less when he saw a girl with brown hair look towards him, with hearts which had replaced her eyes...

He then directed his focus towards the prince, who was still lying on the ground, his face darkened by shame.

Ash did the only thing he could now, he walked up to the prince and offered him a hand, making Lance and Mikael to look proudly at him.

"You fought good." Ash heard himself say as Richard grabbed his hand and lifted himself up.

"But you won, Ashton." Richard sent him a weak smile. "I thought you've never used a sword before."

"I haven't..." Ash laughed slightly embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his head. "And call me Ash."

"Ash..." Richard smiled. "Call me Ritchie."

* * *

_Two years later... The castle of Kanto..._

* * *

Lance smiled as he polished his armor; he remembered the great moments he had in the field. He had actually lied a little to the young Ash as he told him about it for a few years ago... there were some good things in war. Many men did find the women of their dream during the war, and they found new friends along the way too. Of course there were more horrors than glory in a battle, but you felt free as adrenaline coursed through you. You felt powerful and focused, you knew that one wrong-step would cost your own life, and you accepted it. War was like a game of dice, the only difference was that the stake was not money... it was your life.

"You've gone a long way, Ash..." Lance said to himself as he thought of the now seven year old boy.

The child had surely grown, mostly in the mind. However, he still had the mind of a seven year old... a seven year old who still thought girls were scary.

Lance laughed at all those times he had been forced to step in between Leafiona as she had gotten into a mood and decided to get married to Ash... it usually ended with Ash running though the castle and asking for help from people whom he had gotten to know and like during his stay here.

The funny thing was that he preferred to make friends with the soldiers, servants and townspeople instead of the nobilities. It seemed like Ash and the nobles' children never could get along, and if it hadn't been for Richard, some of them would've probably ended up with a bloody nose.

"You surely have changed the prince too..." Lance smiled.

It was true, Ash and the prince seemed inseparable now... although prince Richard still got an irritated look on his face when Leafiona ran after Ash through the whole castle.

Richard was a good person deep down, but he had too much pride to admit it. He would surely make a good ruler some day, but he still needed to open his heart a little bit more.

Lance still remembered how Ash had convinced Richard to come with him, out of the castle, and meet the villagers... it was going to end in disaster if Mikael, a former solider of Kanto, hadn't been there and quickly dragged those two boys away... he still couldn't understand why the prince would insult the merchandise of a drunken person...

And the training he was giving them... he was actually a little scared. Ash was fighting like a man at the age of 20, not seven! In a few years he could probably take even Lance down in a duel... Richard, on the other hand, was only a little better than the average, but Lance was not surprised since Richard didn't really take the training seriously...

The castle had changed so much since Ash came here. It was more like a ghost-house with silent dinners before he got here... but now the dinners were filled with laughter, both from the servants and the guests, Ash had even made King Giovanni laugh a couple of times.

Although Lance knew that the king would never love Ash as much as Richard, since the ties of blood were too thick. But even the king had to agree that Ash would be, if he ever got the chance, the better ruler and leader... although it would not be over Kanto, since they already had a crown prince.

The captain put away his armor and took up his silver-winged helmet and started to polish it. He looked up as he heard a scream, whom he recognized as Leafiona's, come from the upper floors.

The scream was loud, but not quite as loud as the time when she had finally managed to kiss Ash on the lips, causing him to spit for several minutes and, with the help of Richard, wash his face.

However, the castle was filled with other girls around the children's age... and they didn't take too kindly to that action, since they also had their crushes on the poor boy. So they colored Leafiona's face black with ink one night, causing Ash and Richard to screech with laughter when she came down to eat breakfast...

The captain heard some scraping noises on the door and walked up to it and opened it and could see two yellow, and one blue, blurs fly through the door, passing him and jumping under the bed.

"Pikachu, Sparky, Riolu, come out." Lance sighed as he could see the three pokemon poke their heads out under the bed. "What did you do now?"

"Pika, chu-pi chu-chu. Pi!" Ash's companion declared with a proud voice.

Lance sighed, the former Pichu had evolved during a food-eating competition... Although he could never figure out how that Pichu could evolve just by winning an apple-eating race between the pokemon... Ash, Richard and Sparky were joyful when they saw that the Pichu had evolved... but Lance suspected that Riolu felt a little lonely now...

"So, you're saying that Ash convinced the prince and princess to put a bucket of water over the king's door... again?" Lance sighed as he saw the pokemon nod, and then snicker. "Alright, let's go."

The three pokemon and human hurried out from the room and towards the royal bedroom, where he could hear loud voices.

"-don't you have ANYTHING left in your head!" Lance sighed, king Giovanni sounded even more furious than usual. "What were you thinking when you..."

The captain continued to walk and didn't stop until he came to the opened door, where he could see Leafiona, a very pretty girl at the age of six, and Richard, a rather tall boy at the age of seven, looked slightly afraid at the big king that was yelling at them.

"How would you think people outside the castle would react if they found out what had happened? WHAT DO YOU THINK!" Giovanni's face was completely red with anger as he shouted. "We would be the laughing-"

"Sire, that's enough." Lance had walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. "They're only kids."

"That's it!" Giovanni declared as he walked out of the room. "I want that boy thrown out of my castle! Where is he!"

Lance couldn't help but smile. Ash's favorite-hobby was playing pranks on the king, and Giovanni hated it... although no matter how mad the king was at the child, he would never kick him out... since he wouldn't be able to sleep well at night worrying about him... that was how much impression the boy had made on the city.

"Thank you, captain!" Richard smiled at him.

"Don't worry, sire." Lance bowed slightly. "If you don't mind me asking... do you, or lady Leafiona, know where Ashton is?"

"I've no idea!" Richard laughed. "It all started with when he was running away from my love-struck sister and- ouch!"

Lance had to put a hand over his mouth to not laugh at the sight of a six year old beating up her seven year old brother.

It ended with the prince was running out of the room with his sister hot on his heels...

"Ash, I know that you're here... come forth!" Lance stated with a loud voice and looked around the room.

Ash then relaxed his arms and legs, causing him to drop from the roof and land on his feet, looking at the captain.

"How did you know?"

"Who was it that taught you to always hide in the stupidest places if you didn't want to be found?" Lance smirked.

"You, Lance." Ash laughed a bit, he then grew serious. "Heard anything from Riley?"

"Ash, some people would be furious if they didn't hear you use the correct titles..." Lance shook his head in amusement, and then he got a rather apologetic look on his face. "No, we haven't heard anything... I'm sorry."

"It's alright..." Ash sighed.

"Keep your hopes up, Ash." Lance smiled at him. "There's three years left, he might not even be in this region anymore!"

"I know..." Ash said looked down towards the ground.

Lance inhaled deeply, troubled. He, who used to be a used traveler, could see that Ash also wanted to leave, that he wanted to explore the world and not be stuck in this castle... he envied the people who lived outside.

The child had of course tried to escape the walls of Saffron City... but, every time he tried, Lance and Mikael would always be able to find him. No matter how much he tried to run or hide, and Giovanni would go on for hours about how irresponsible Ash was and Richard would ask why Ash didn't take him with him and Leafiona would start to crying at the thought of not seeing Ash again... in other words, Ash had stopped trying to escape.

"Come on, kid." Lance smiled at him. "I've heard that the king has gone for a swim in the park's lake... and a little Pidgey whispered in my ear that his clothes will be hung on a tree at the side of the lake..."

Ash's face lit up at the possible thought of stealing Giovanni's clothes, he quickly ran out of the room towards the north side of the castle to start his evil plan.

Lance laughed, Ash was going to be something great when he grew up... but, for now, he was still a child...

* * *

_Three years later... The castle of Kanto..._

* * *

"Where is he?" The sound of the ten year old boy with raven hair echoed through the castle. "He said he would get me when I became ten!"

"Ash, calm down." One of Ash's older and closest friends, Mikael, spoke to him. "There's no use in getting your temper up, he will come... it's only been one week since you turned ten!"

"So?" Ash asked with a frown. "I don't care! I want to leave this stone-building! I suffocate in here! I hate the royal-life!"

"You get used to it, Ash." Ritchie smiled slightly troubled at him. "It's actually not so bad... I mean, you've people do anything you want for you, you can order them to do anything!"

"Alright, no more food for him..." Mikael mumbled to Lance, who chuckled a bit.

"Ash..." Lance looked at the young boy. "I know how you feel. I also left my home to train in the ways of a warrior when I was ten... I couldn't stand it at home, I wanted to keep moving, to see things, but the ones I loved wouldn't let me."

"But I-"

"And I know that you've had it worse than me -... don't look at me like that, sire, we who aren't born in such luxury despise it!" Lance's words made Richard fall deep into thoughts. "Ash, you've endured it for five years... I think you can manage just one week."

"You only say that because you want a few more tries to beat me in a duel!" Ash laughed at the embarrassed captain.

"Of course not!" Lance lied. "But, now that you mention it-"

"Give it up, captain." Richard shook his head. "Ash's the better fighter of you two, there's no point in trying to prove it."

"Well, it's a nice thing to kill some time with." Lance stated with a hopeful look on his face.

"If you want to kill some time, I suggest that you, Ash, go and look for my sister... Leaf started to cry again when you mentioned that you were leaving."

"Nu-uh, forget it!" Ash shook his head energetically. "Last time I did that she had kidnapped a priest, and as soon as I came into her room she locked it and tried to marry us!"

Everybody, except Ash and Richie, laughed at the memory.

"Well... it would actually be kinda cool if we got to be a real family..." Richard almost whispered those words, gaining Ash's attention.

"You knew about that, didn't you?" Ash accused him with a sharp gaze.

"A little..." He shrugged and smiled.

"You have no idea how much I hate you now..." Ash muttered and turned his back with crossed arms, causing the little rodent to jump up onto his shoulder and start nuzzling his cheek against his.

"_**Ash...**_" Riolu's voice sounded strangely happy, so Ash turned towards the aura-pokemon with a confused look. "_**Guess what!**_"

"_**I've no idea, Riolu.**_" Ash shrugged. "_**And I'm not in the mood for games... so, tell me.**_"

"_**I can feel two familiar auras coming this way**_." He smiled.

"_**You're joking, right?**_" Ash's face got a blank look as he kept his gaze on the little pokemon, looking for any evidence of a lie.

"_**No! Sir Riley and Lucario are on their way here!**_" Riolu cheered.

Ash soon followed his steps and started to jump up and down.

"YEAH! I'M OUTTA THIS HELL-HOLE!" He even ignored the girlish-cry he heard when he shouted those words. "I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE!"

"What are you talking about, Ash?" Lance asked in confusion as he watched the jumping boy.

"Riley's coming here! I'm going to leave!" Ash almost cried tears of joy, this place had been like a prison for him the last few years. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Pika!" The little rodent cheered with full force and started jumping up and down.

* * *

"Looks like we're back, Lucario_**.**_" Said a man at the age of 45 years old. His raven-black hair had some gray flecks on it, and he was dressed in blue and gray clothes with the same hat on his head. _**"**_You think they know that we're here?"

They then heard a loud shout of joy, which actually made Lucario jump.

"_**Yes... master**_." Lucario answered him, slightly annoyed. "_**I do think they know that we're here..."**_

They continued to walk up towards the castle, he was surprised to see the guards stand aside and let him in. Although, he was even more surprised to see King Giovanni himself standing at the gate, looking very grateful.

"Thank Ho-Oh, you're back!" The man almost cried in happiness as he actually hugged his leg in a very un-king-ish way... "You couldn't have come a second sooner!"

"Thanks...?" Riley hesitated. "Has something happened?"

"That boy..." Giovanni shivered. "He's impossible! Nothing I do can stop his pranks and evil deeds! I've tried everything!"

"He just wants out." Riley smiled, he was glad to know that Ash was starting to behave like Sir Aaron even more. "His father couldn't stand it inside for too long either."

"Yes, yes, whatever you say..." Giovanni waved off Riley's words and led him inside the castle. "Please, take him away from me!"

The Aura Guardian only sighed and kept walking towards the source of where he had heard the cry come from. He saw something dressed in brown came running towards him and tackled him into a hug, sending him down onto the floor.

"Riley! You're here!" The man couldn't believe how much Ash's voice had matured since he left him here... and his strength, Riley groaned as he tried to get up.

"That boy has been nothing but trouble!" Giovanni continued to state as he made gestures. "He wouldn't let my servants to fix his hair... he didn't even let us give him normal clothes!"

"And by 'normal' you mean royal..." Riley stated as he looked at the boy's common brown clothes. "It's great to see you, Ash."

"Same here!" Ash laughed and helped the Aura Guardian up from the floor. Pikachu and Riolu had finished with their greeting Lucario. "When can we go?"

"Anytime you want." Riley smiled. "But I think you should say goodbye to your friends first... we won't be seeing them for a couple of years."

The boy nodded and turned towards Richie, Lance and Mikael, they all looked at him with happy, yet sad eyes.

"I'll see you guys soon, alright?" Ash smiled, he could also feel the water build up in his eyes.

"I'll see you soon, kid." Mikael cried as he took the boy into a hug. "You father would've be proud, for all you did to the king." He whispered those last words since the king in question was standing not too far away from there...

"Bye, Mikael." Ash sniffed and broke himself from the hug. "Find someone new to use that funny herb on."

"I will, kid." Mikael nodded, he laughed a bit through his tears as he remembered how Ash had put way too much chili and pepper in King Giovanni's soup.

The boy then turned to Lance, who didn't look very tough anymore as he fought to keep the tears from falling.

"Bye, Lance." Ash smiled and took him into a hug. "I would've never survived in this place if it hadn't been for you."

"Yes, Ash, you would have." Lance responded his smile with one of his own. "You're a survivor, like your father. Remember, live with honor-"

"Or die with it kept." Ash nodded, already knowing that phrase. "I will, thank you."

He then turned to Richard, those two had been very close friends during those five years, departing now was not easy for either of them.

"So..." Ash spoke after a while. "I'm going to train my ways in the path of the Aura."

"I know..." Richard nodded. "And it seems like I'm going to travel to Sinnoh for a while, my father wants me to meet their princess and, hopefully, make some kind of marriage-arrangement that would improve our relationship with that region."

"Really? How come I never heard of that?" Ash asked with a frown, he still didn't trust either of the other regions fully after Lance's story.

"If you would for once listen to my father you would hear that I was going to be sent to Sinnoh for a year, and Leafiona to Hoenn for a week." Richard smiled sadly. "I'm going to miss you."

"And I'm going to miss you too." Ash nodded.

The two friends hugged each other and let tears fall down their cheeks, their rodents mimicked their actions and also cried as they hugged each other.

After a couple of minutes, Ash let go of Richie and looked towards Agatha, who stood there with a handkerchief in her hand, drying tears that fell down her cheeks.

She didn't say a word, she simply kissed Ash on the head and hugged him tightly.

The boy mouthed a 'thank you' to her before he turned his attention towards the old king.

"Giovanni." Ash never used his title because he knew that it would irritate the old man.

"Ashton." Giovanni used Ash's given name for irritating him too.

"I'm leaving now."

"I'm glad."

"I'm not coming back for a couple of years."

"I'll celebrate those years."

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too!" Giovanni cried and took the boy into a bone-crushing embrace, causing the people around them to get wide eyed at the display. "You better come back alive!"

"I will, don't worry." Ash smiled and released himself from the hug. "Tell Leaf that I-"

"Oh, no, you don't!" He turned towards the source of the voice and saw an enraged girl coming towards him.

"Leaf! I was just going to-"

"Don't try me, Ashton!" She cried and glared hatefully at him. "You were going to LEAVE without giving me a goodbye! Aren't you even a little ashamed!"

"Well... truth to be told-" He was interrupted once again as she girl threw her arms around the boy's neck, sobbing heavily.

"Please, Ash, don't leave! Please!" She pleaded and tightened her grip.

"I'm sorry, Leaf." Ash whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her. "But, it's my destiny to take this path, as it's your destiny to become a princess and marry a royal."

"I don't want them!" She cried in his chest. "I want you!"

"Eum... yeah..." Ash hesitated and felt his face heat up as Riley and Lucario were watching him with blank looks on their faces, and the others to chuckle sadly. "It isn't my destiny to marry a princess... I hope you understand that, do you?"

"Yeah..." She sobbed.

"That's good." Ash smiled and tried to break the hug... but to no avail. "Leaf...? You can let go now."

"Alright."

"Leaf?"

"Yeah?"

"You're still holding on to me." Ash sweat-dropped as he felt a slight pain in his soon-to-be crushed neck.

"I don't wanna let go!" She exclaimed.

"Leafiona..." Giovanni spoke after a while. "Let him go... he has his own destiny to fulfill... he belongs to a place that's not here."

The girl nodded, slowly loosened her grip on the boy and ran to her mother to hug her.

Ash swallowed the lump in his throat as he saw the scene occur. He looked at all his close friends, those who were like a family to him.

"I'll be back." He finally spoke. "I promise."

Lance looked for a moment at Riley, memories of the past filled him as he tried to stare down the Aura Guardian, he then walked up to him.

"Sir Riley."

"Captain."

"I expect you to take care of Ash." Lance's glare narrowed on the Aura Guardian, who was unmoved.

"I will." Riley nodded in a serious manner. "What about you? Are you still mad at Sir Aaron for picking me as his apprentice and not you?"

"If I also had the power of the Aura, it would be me." Lance nodded. "But since I don't have it, no, I'm not mad anymore."

Riley placed his hand on his old rival's shoulder, and Lance did the same. They looked each other in the eyes for a minute, then they nodded towards each other and separated.

He could feel Riley's hand on his shoulder as he led him out of the castle, out of the walls and out of the city. Pikachu and Riolu were perched on both his shoulders, feeling excited but slightly depressed at their departure from their friends.

"Ash..." Riley spoke after a while. "Your training to become a Guardian of the Aura, has begun..."

**End of chapter 2**

* * *

**I think you can pretty much guess what's going to happen in the next chapter... but why not try anyway? :P**

**Now you got a little more background information about the regions and Sir Aaron (sorry, I'm just too fond of history :S) But you'll learn more and more for each chapter.**

**By the way, maybe you can explain something for me: Why do so many people apologize for a late review, even if the next chapter's not even posted yet? **

**It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

**R&R!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Greetings! I hope you haven't tired on the story yet!**

**In my opinion, this chapter's the most boring so far... but I would recommend that you read it since it's a lot of information in it that I'll use later in the story... I just don't think it's necessary for me to try and explain everything just because you skipped this chapter.**

**Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!  
**

* * *

The young boy's feet were starting to hurt. He had never walked so much in his whole life! But one thing was clear though: He loved every second of it.

They had been walking for several days, Riley and Lucario had been awfully quiet during that time, even Riolu had looked rather thoughtful.

Only Ash and Pikachu were talking like nothing had happened or was wrong, but the tension still hung in the air.

One of the things that confused Ash the most was that they had avoided all villages and towns, as though Riley didn't want to meet any people...

"Um... Riley?" Ash asked after a while, causing the man in blue to look at his direction. "Where are we going?"

"I'll tell you when we get there, Ash." Riley responded to him with a kind, yet slightly nervous smile. "But we have to be quiet for now, the fewer people who notice us, the better."

"Why? I thought everyone likes a-" Ash was silenced by the sharp glare Riley sent him, causing him to look down towards the ground.

Riley sighed and continued walking with Lucario at his side, he didn't like this one bit... but it had to be done.

* * *

They had finally arrived at Route 17, and Riley motioned for Ash to come to him.

"Ash..." He told him with a kind smile. "I know that you lived near the sea in Pallet Town... but that was a long time ago and there was too much forest in the way to get a good look at it..."

"What are you talking about, Riley?" Ash wondered with a frown as he looked at the man with his head tilted. "I barely remember that memory."

"That's why I wanted to show you this!" Riley laughed and gave him a gentle push through a bush, causing Ash, Pikachu and Riolu to come out into a clearing.

The trio's eyes widened as they saw the sight. The ocean, a mighty mass of water as far as the eye could see was right in front of them, several water- and bird-pokemon were flying or swimming over, under or beside it.

"Woah/Chuu/Louu..." Was the collective sound that the trio managed to say at the grand vision in front of them.

"I know." Riley nodded as he stood between them with Lucario scouting the area. "It's a beautiful sight."

"It's really cool, Riley." Ash managed to say and tore his gaze from the ocean for a moment. "But why did you show me this? I thought we were going to train my aura."

"Ash..." Riley smiled at the little boy. "This IS training."

"Looking at water's training?" Ash asked with disbelief as he looked at the Aura Guardian. "How's that even logical?"

"When we start your training seriously, you will know." Riley only laughed and messed up the boy's hair. "Ah, Lucario's back! Did you find it, my friend?"

"_**Yes, master.**_" Lucario nodded. "_**It's still here.**_"

"What's still here?" Ash asked innocently, immediately gaining Riley and Lucario's attention.

"H-how... did you-" Riley was dumbfounded, how was this even possible. "Did you... hear Lucario?"

"Yeah!" Ash nodded happily. "It's the same as when I'm talking to Riolu!"

"You can talk..." Riley's voice died out before he had time to finish his sentence, he then looked towards his pokemon. "Lucario, did you communicate with Ash as well?"

The aura-pokemon simply shook his head, also stunned by the action.

"Impossible..."

"What's impossible, Riley?" Ash asked with a tilted head as he looked at the man, who had sat himself on the ground.

"You shouldn't be able to do it..." The man shook his head. "It took several years for me to even communicate with my own pokemon... and I couldn't talk with other auras until I was around twenty!"

"That's... a good thing?" Ash asked carefully, was something wrong with him? "I'm not good enough to become an Aura Guardian?"

Riley couldn't help but laugh at Ash's statement, clearly offending the boy.

"N... no, Ash!" He calmed himself down and got a serious look on his face. "You're good enough, almost too good!"

"Okay..." The boy hesitated and then looked at his pokemon, who simply shrugged.

"Do you know why I brought you here?" Riley decided to change the subject and looked at the boy seriously.

"You wanted me to see the ocean?"

"Yes, but that's not the only reason..." Riley made a motion for the trio to follow him and Lucario as they walked along the beach.

They walked until they came towards some kind of tall bush that was about as big as the castle walls.

"This is what we came for!" Riley stated with a laugh and pushed away several branches to enter. "Come on, Pikachu, Riolu and Ash!"

The trio looked at each other, then nodded and ran thorough the big bush too.

There they gasped again, after Ash had been hit by a branch to the face that is.

There was some kind of courtyard that was within the bush, as though the bushes were a kind of wall to prevent people from seeing this place.

From what Ash had picked up in the castle he could tell that the clearing inside the bush was circular with a diameter of about 500 metres and a small clear stream passed through it on its way out to sea.

Along the inside-wall were several berry-trees, each different and in full bloom, the fruit caused drool to accumulate in the mouths of the trio as they looked at it.

"This, Ash..." Riley smiled as he stood in the middle of the circle. "Is your father's personal training ground, which he built himself!"

"My... dad built all this?" Ash asked with a hint of disbelief in his voice. "All by himself?"

"A Guardian of the Aura is never alone, Ash." Riley smiled at him, then put a hand on Lucario's shoulder. "As long as we have a partner at our side, we'll never be alone!"

The boy looked from the little rodent to the little aura-pokemon, then towards Riley.

"Which one is my partner then?" He asked in confusion, Pikachu and Riolu looked at each other, not wanting to start some sort of rivalry.

"The number of partners an Aura Guardian is allowed to have is unlimited." Riley simply smiled, causing the trio to sigh in relief. "However, Pikachu will never learn the power of the Aura..."

"You mean I'll never be able to talk with Pikachu like I can with Riolu?" Ash asked with a hint of sadness in his voice, even Pikachu looked down.

"Maybe..." Riley paused to think. "If your bond's strong enough, and your aura's as powerful as I think it is... then you might make it."

"Really?" Ash's eyes were immediately filled with renewed hope. "That's awesome!"

"Yes, it's... awesome..." Riley smiled a troubled smile, when Ash started his training those words had to disappear. "It's getting late now, go and get some sleep... tomorrow, we'll start your training!"

The trio nodded and quickly curled up into a pile at the base of a nearby tree, soon they were all sound asleep.

Riley only looked at his Lucario for a moment.

"I'm not so sure about this..." Riley told him with a hesitant voice. "He has already learned thebasics, and that would take several years!"

"_**Where are you getting at, master?**_" Lucario asked with a frown.

"_**What if he becomes one of... them...**_" Riley didn't want to mention those names through his aura, he despised them too much to do it. "_**How can I control it?**_"

"_**He's the son of Sir Aaron.**_" Lucario slowly explained. "_**And you're the student of Sir Aaron...**_"

"_**What are you trying to say?**_" Riley demanded, although his heart felt a little easier.

"_**I'm saying that it's nearly impossible for Ash to become like them.**_" Lucario smiled at his master. "_**As long as you remind him about his true goal, nothing can go wrong.**_"

"_**Our time will come, Lucario.**_" Riley smiled back even bigger at him. "_**And when it comes, I hope we go down together.**_"

"_**Same here, master.**_" Lucario felt a little lump in his throat.

"_**It's time to get some sleep now, we both have a long day in front of us.**_"

* * *

_Ash was sitting high up in a tree in the park, laughing at th__e enraged brown haired king who stood under him, shouting with all his might._

"_Get down here!" Giovanni roared, his face completely red__. "I'm going to teach you not to use my underwear as a castle-flag!"_

"_But it was much better that way... Gio!" Pichu and Riolu howled with laughter when the young boy said that. _

"_Alright, have it your way then!" Giovanni shouted and started to shake the tree with all his might._

_Ash bravely held onto the tree and didn't fall down, but Pichu and Riolu fell off and landed onto the ground, where they quickly darted away from the king._

"_That's the best you can do, Gio?" Ash laughed, taunting him._

"_No! This is!" _

_Ash suddenly found himself falling towards a small lake, he closed his eyes and prepared for impact..._

* * *

The young boy shouted out in surprise when he felt the cold water struck him. He had a bewildered look on his face as he looked around and saw the bucket, belonging to the serious-looking Riley.

"What did you do that for!" Ash shouted at him as he felt himself grow enough angry to heat himself up. "I was having a great dream!"

"You don't have time to dream." Riley glared at him. "It's time to train you in the ways of the Guardian of the Aura!"

With those words the boy quickly stood up, with his pokemon standing right by his side.

"I'm ready, Riley!" Ash said as he stood at attention.

"That's good..." Riley nodded and walked up to him, as though this were some kind of inspection.

"First..." He flipped Ash's rather long hair. "You can't expect me to train you as an Aura Guardian when you've that long hair..."

"You're saying...?" The young boy gulped as he looked at his hair, which almost reached his eyes.

"We're going to cut some of it off." Riley nodded, giving Ash a terrified expression.

"Anything else...?" The boy sighed.

"Yes." Riley nodded and stood himself in front of the boy with crossed arms. "You're not calling me 'Riley' as long as I'm training you... you'll either call me 'teacher' or 'sensei', is that clear?"

"Yes..." Ash grew annoyed; this was the sort of talk he had wanted to leave the castle for...

"Yes what?"

"Yes... teacher..." He had to force out the last words, as Riolu snickered in the background.

"And YOU!" The little dog-pokemon jumped slightly as Riley looked at him. "You're going to be trained by Lucario, and I expect the same standard from you!"

"Lou!" The pokemon saluted him quickly and nodded.

"Very well."

The little rodent seemed to be trying to hide rather discretely behind Ash's legs, not wanting to be noticed by the Aura Guardian, but it was an exercise in futility...

"You, Pikachu!" Riley's powerful voice caused the little mouse to slowly poke its little head out from the protection of Ash's leg. "You might not have an Aura to train... but you'll also be trained in the way of combat and obedience by Lucario!"

"Chuu..." The little rodent cooed sadly in agreement.

"Alright, listen up!" He gained everyone's attention with those words as he started to pace back and forth.

"Sometimes you're going to hate us, other times you will want to kill us with your bare hands." He smiled a little at those words. "We know that, because we both wanted to do that to your father and his pokemon, Ash."

The boy looked at him with slight disbelief in his eyes.

"But..." Riley made a pause and looked at the trio. "All of you have great potential... and we're going to help you achieve that!"

The trio didn't say a word.

"Your days of 'fun' are over!" The trio looked nervous when he said that. "I expect complete obedience, when we tell you to jump off a cliff, you WILL jump off a cliff!"

Ash, Pikachu and Riolu nodded, even if they weren't too fond of the idea...

"I heard from captain Lance that you three had quite reputation at the dinners... both for getting the 'mood' up and eating..." Riley's glare made the trio stop smiling immediately. "I can say right now: That's the end of it! We'll not have any 'jokes' or 'fun' at our meals; we're not going to eat more than necessary!"

The trio's heads hung down at those words, they were already starting to feel hungry.

"When we're done with you, you're going to become great warriors, it will be almost impossible to kill you, and you'll be able to take a man's life if necessary... it that clear?"

"Yes." Ash mumbled to himself.

"Yes...?"

"Yes, teacher!" The poor boy had to shout out the words loudly till the man became satisfied.

"Very well..." Riley looked at each being there with a smile. "Gentlemen... your path to the aura has begun!"

* * *

"Right, Ash." The boy was standing there, dressed in brown pants that reached his knees and a shirt that was cut off at the arms... his hair was also notably shorter. "This is your first day as an aura-user."

"Yes." Riley looked at him, causing the boy sigh. "Sensei..."

"Good." Riley nodded and looked at the boy. "The path of the aura is a tough one, many don't make it."

"Yes, teacher." Ash, who was finally getting used to it, answered.

"The aura of your father flows in you, Ash." For the first time today, Riley eye's softened. "If you obey every order from me, it's going to be okay."

"Yes, sensei!"

"Good..." Riley nodded and walked towards the stream, Ash followed him. "This side is ours, the other one is for the pokemon.

"Yes, sensei."

"Here!" Riley picked up a stone and threw it to Ash, who caught it. "Put this on the ground."

The boy hesitantly put the rock, which was about half the size of his head, on the ground.

"Good." Riley nodded. "Now, pick it up."

The boy bent down and picked the rock up again.

"Put it down." Ash did it.

"Pick it up."

"Put it down."

"Pick it up."

After about fifty times of 'pick it ups' and 'put it downs' Ash had decided that his teacher was crazy.

"Sensei, what's the meaning of this?" Ash asked as he picked up the stone again, which was starting to feel heavy.

"Don't ask questions!" Riley barked at him. "Put it down again!"

The boy sighed and did as he was told.

"I'm not going to say anything anymore, but I expect you to continue with what you're doing." The Aura Guardian stated.

"Yes, sensei." Ash growled and picked the stone up, then placed it on the ground again.

"You might ask what the purpose of this training is..." Riley said as he walked around the boy. "There's no purpose, I'm only doing it because I'm bored."

Ash looked at him, and then threw the stone onto the ground.

A sharp pain hit his ear and Ash got some tears in his eyes as he felt the spot where Riley's hand had struck him.

"I told you not to stop doing it!"

"But you said there was no point to this training!"

"Everything has a point to it!" Riley yelled at him with such might that Ash quickly picked the stone up again and continued with his drill. "Good... you might feel anger towards me for striking you... you should, but pain's the best way to learn quickly... do you understand."

"Yes..." Ash hesitated. "... sensei..."

"Good." Riley nodded and straightened his back. "I'm going out for a stroll... keep with the drill, and remember... I have eyes everywhere."

The boy only mumbled a response as he watched the Aura Guardian walk out of the little courtyard.

* * *

Ash continued to pick the stone up and put it down for another two hours... but he was starting to feel tired and his hands had also started bleeding, so he decided to take a little break.

But, when he sat down, a big explosion happened a few feet from him, creating a small crater in the ground.

Ash cried out as the Aura Sphere was thrown him and sent him flying into the stream.

"_**No resting, Ash!**_" The boy looked towards the Lucario. "_**You're not going to ignore orders! One day, they'll save your life.**_"

Ash looked towards Lucario. Both Riolu and Pikachu seemed exhausted, but they still kept going, they were actually looking slightly disappointed in him.

Their looks filled him with a power and feeling that he wouldn't let them down, he walked up from the water and ignored how the clothes was sticking to his skin. He picked up the stone again and continued with his drill.

"_**Master, the boy seems to have learned his lesson... his aura is a lot more positive now.**_"

"_**Good, continue to keep an eye on him, I'm not completely done here...**_"

* * *

The following twenty days the exercise for Ash continued, he bent down, picked the stone up and put it down. Ash felt like some kind of ball that constantly bounced up and down with no break. His hand had blisters on them, the bleeding had stopped a long time ago, but he still did as he was told.

Then, finally one day, Riley walked up to him with an unreadable expression

"Ash, you've passed the first test." Riley actually smiled a bit. "You've showed a great deal of obedience, and that's an important quality for a Guardian of the Aura!"

"Sensei..." Ash hesitated. "If you don't mind me asking, but what kind of purpose did this training really serve? I could figure out many other drills for obedience."

"That may be true, Ash." Riley nodded. "But, everything has a purpose that you'll finally learn about... some day."

"Understood, sensei."

"Good." Riley nodded again. "Are you ready for your next task?"

"Yes, teacher."

"Come with me." Ash was about to follow his teacher... but then he threw a look towards the pokemon and he suddenly stopped with a look of awe on his face.

The little rodent was charging towards the smaller aura-pokemon, who was also running towards the rodent. Both of them had a glowing body part, Pikachu's tail glowed a bright silver color and Riolu's fist glowed the same color as well...

They jumped up into the air and made contact with their attacks, and then they landed and looked at each other, panting but with smiles on their faces.

Lucario stood at the side with crossed arms, nodding his liking.

"Ash! Don't linger! We have a long way to go!" The sound of Riley's voice brought Ash's attention back to himself once more and ran towards Riley, who stood at the side of a big tree.

"I heard from Giovanni that you were quite the climber..." Riley smiled inwardly as he saw Ash rub his head in embarrassment. "That's good... because I want you to climb that tree."

"I'm not going to climb up and down, right, sensei?" Ash asked hesitantly, since the tree was rather tall.

"Of course not!" Riley laughed. "Just climb up."

The boy nodded and started to climb the tree, it was a tall tree and it took a while for Ash to come to a rather plain and strong branch.

"Stand on the branch!" He could hear Riley's voice from the ground and did as he was told. "Good! Now, lift your left foot up and balance on your right."

Ash did as he was told, it was rather unbalancing, but he still lifted up his left foot.

"Now, if you put it down before I tell you... I'll blast you down from the tree..." There was no humor in Riley's voice. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, sensei." Ash gulped.

"Remember, whatever you do." He could hear the seriousness in Riley's voice again. "Do NOT put your left foot down on the branch!"

* * *

Pikachu and Riolu were starting to grew worried, Ash had been up in that tree for several hours now... and he still stood on his right foot with his eyes closed!

"_**Hey! Focus now, you're going to be the partners of an Aura Guardian! You can't relax!**_" Their heads snapped up at Lucario's harsh tone... at least they were in this together, Ash was alone in this endeavor...

They both took a deep breath and jumped into the stream. Then they started to swim in the opposite direction that the river was flowing. It was a difficult task and they felt like they were going to sink, but they still managed to slowly push themselves forward...

* * *

"Ash!" Riley shouted after five hours. "How are you doing up there?"

"G.. good..." Ash forced himself to talk, he refused to be seen as weak by that man. "Sensei..."

"Very well, dinner is going to be ready soon and-"

Riley's voice was interrupted by a loud crash, followed by several leafs floating around him. Ash was laying there on the ground, half alive, with his left foot still up in the air...

Riley got a slight smile on his face as he bent down and picked up the young boy and carried him towards their chosen sleeping place.

"You've a lot to learn, Ash." He whispered to the sleeping boy. "But you're learning incredibly fast..."

* * *

A boy of eleven years looked towards the man in blue with a tilted head.

"Let me get this straight, sensei..." He hesitated. "You're telling me that it's time for weapons training?"

"Yes, Ash." Riley nodded. "The pokemon started it a year ago."

"Why didn't we do so then, sensei?"

"Because taking orders are ingrained in every pokemon's nature, Ash." Riley explained with a knowing voice. "You, however, have never taken an order in your whole life... you needed to learn to obey!"

"So, those exercises before was just to make me a better 'order-taker'?" Ash asked with disbelief in his voice. "...sensei?"

"Partly, Ash." Riley shook his head. "It was also building you up for your future training... your body was so fragile a year ago that it would've been broken if we had started right away... and when I'm going to teach you how to control aura with your hands... they would've lost most of their skin if we hadn't strengthened them!"

Ash looked down towards his hands, it was true. His hands had always been soft and sensitive... but now they were as thick and rough as a blacksmith's hands, he had some sort of hardened skin over them now, and he was only eleven! But then a thought struck him and he looked up towards the man.

"I'm going to learn how to control aura?" He asked with a hopeful voice. "Like Lucario and Riolu?"

"Yes." Riley smiled weakly. "But no man can learn his aura as easily as a pokemon can... we have a long way to go to get there."

"I see, sensei." Ash nodded, but the thought of learning to control aura was still exciting. "What are we going to do now?"

"Glad you asked, Ash..." Riley smiled and walked towards the little place where they stored their equipment. He reached into it and pulled out two long wooden sticks, one as tall as Ash and the other one at Riley's height. He then threw the staff to the boy, who caught it. "We're going to train your senses in combat!"

"Sounds good, sensei." Ash got a wild smirk on his face, Riley didn't know about the lessons Lance had given him the five years that he was there...

"I'm letting you have first move, Ash." Riley stated casually as he seemed really relaxed with the staff in his left hand.

The boy walked calmly towards the Aura Guardian, his right hand over his left hand on the staff, and didn't stop looking the man in the eyes.

"_I see Lance has taught him a thing or two..._" Riley thought with a smile as he watched the boy come closer and closer. "_This is going to be fun..._"

Ash suddenly took a giant leap towards the Aura Guardian and aimed the staff towards his legs, but he hit air as Riley only strained in jumping a bit.

The boy didn't stop there, he continued to strike with the wooden staff towards his teacher, who dodged it without any problem, he didn't even use his own staff to block!

They continued in that way for a while, Ash was swinging the staff with a precision that would cause many people's eyes to widen, while Riley continued to dodge it, without even using his own staff.

Finally, after an incredible two hours, Ash was exhausted and could barely lift his staff. So Riley simply swept Ash's legs with his staff, causing the boy to fall to the ground, gasping for air.

"I'm impressed, Ash." Riley smiled as he watched the boy push himself up. "You've an incredible stamina, speed and strength for such a young age!"

"How..." Ash took another deep breath. "How did you do... it?... I couldn't... hit... you..."

"My aura, Ash." Riley smiled. "It makes us unbeatable against non-aura-users in a one on one match. We can see things before they happen!"

"Can... can I do that too?" Ash asked curiously, the shame of defeat still hung over his head.

"You're already using it, Ash." Riley laughed. "But you're not using it to your full potential, that's why you're such a good swordsman!"

"I'm not good enough..." Ash muttered and looked at the staff in his hands. "How can I train my aura like that, sensei?"

"With one simple exercise, Ash." Riley walked towards a tree that he had been working on from time to time over the course of the year. "The previous battle was just to demonstrate some of the things that you still need to learn."

Ash looked at the tree with a frown. On a branch, which stuck out a little more than normal, was three ropes tied around it, and those ropes were tied to a stock at the other end that hung about a meter from the ground.

Riley simply walked up to the tree and pushed lightly on the stock, causing it to sway back and forth.

"This, Ash…" He called to the boy. "Is your new training!"

The boy only had looked confused as he walked up to the machine, what was this for?

"Sensei..." Ash cleared his throat. "What's the point behind this exercise?"

"I'm going to show you." Riley smirked and took out a black sash from his pocket, he then tied it around his head. "Ash, I need you to swing those stock as fast as you can."

The boy snickered at the thought of his teacher being hit by those big stocks, so he silently sneaked up and pushed them rather hard towards his teacher.

Riley stood there calmly as the stock came towards him, then when the stock was about to hit him, he easily sidestepped, causing the stock to miss him by inches. He did the same with the other two, and continued to avoid them just as they were about to crash into him, over and over again. Leaving the boy absolutely stunned.

After five minutes of avoiding them the Aura Guardian jumped out of the line of fire and removed the sash and, to the boy's great confusion and fear, handed it to Ash.

"Your turn." The Aura Guardian smirked as he motioned for the boy to take it.

Ash gulped as he took the sash and tied it around his head, it was completely dark and he could feel his teacher's hands on his shoulders as he led him towards the tree.

"Now, I want you to think, Ash!" The boy couldn't avoid hearing the stupidity in that sentence, what was he doing… "Imagine the stock hitting you!"

"Alright..." Ash mumbled, mostly to himself. "Imagine the stocks are hitting me..."

He did as he was told and pictured himself with the stocks coming towards him, the wooden object came crashing towards him, and he sidestepped to the right...

The pain was incredible, it had hit him right in the stomach, and he could feel that Riley hadn't eased down on the speed of the stocks.

Ash threw off the sash and could feel the tears build up in his eyes as he held his stomach and choked for air, and then he threw up.

Riley rubbed the back of his head... maybe it would've been a good idea to start with something softer first? When he thought about it... Sir Aaron had actually used some softer objects at the ends of the wood when he did it... he actually felt a little guilty.

"Hey, Ash..." He cleared his throat. "Maybe we-"

He stopped talking as he saw the boy breathe heavily and hold up his hand to silence him, he then tied the sash around his eyes again and placed himself in position.

"Again, sensei." He requested. "I think I get this now."

"Alright." Riley smiled and put the logs into motion again.

He saw the boy manage to step aside one, two three... all of the logs! But, he seemed to forget that they would come swinging back again and was hit hard in the back, causing him to fall onto the ground.

Ash growled as he raised himself off the ground and placed himself in position again, refusing to give up.

"Amazing..." Riley mumbled to himself as he put them in motion again.

* * *

To pass that test you needed to avoid those logs for about 20 minutes, and it took more than a year for every Aura Guardian to make it... everyone except for one...

"Ash, how could you have passed that so quickly?" Riley asked in confusion as he sat on a rock and saw the boy avoid the logs, he had been doing that for over 30 minutes now. "It even took your father a year to do it... not a month!"

"It's actually very easy once you get the hang of it, sensei!" Ash responded as he leaned back, almost touching the ground with his head, as the log flew over him. "All you need to do is picture them!"

"Of course I know that." Riley answered him, feeling rather grumpy. "I'm an Aura Guardian, remember?"

"Yes, sensei!" The boy laughed and sidestepped two at the same time... "What's the next test?"

"We're going to take up the combat lessons again." Riley said slowly. "You need to learn those quickly..."

"Why, sensei?" Ash asked in confusion as he jumped away from the incoming logs and removed the sash. "What's the hurry?"

"The sooner you learn to defend yourself, the better." Riley stated, not really wanting to talk about it. "Ash, when you can beat me in hand-to-hand combat... I'll answer all the questions that you've been asking me throughout your training."

"All of them?" The boy asked with a raised eyebrow. Every time Ash had asked a question, that wasn't about the training, he had never gotten an answer.

"All of them." Riley nodded, the boy needed something to look forward to... since this would not be easy for him. "But, remember, only when you manage to defeat me!"

"Right." Ash nodded, he was going to take that old man down!

* * *

"It's nice to have a talk with you, guys." Ash smiled at his two pokemon. "We've not been able to talk to each other for several weeks!"

"Chu!" The rodent agreed. "Pikachu pi-pi chu!"

"It's pretty good." Ash nodded. "I've just learned to avoid the logs completely!"

"_**That's good, master!**_" Ash looked at the little aura-pokemon to his right.

"Why did you call me that, Riolu?" The boy asked with a frown.

"_**Called you what, master?**_"

"'Master'! Why are you calling me that?"

"_**You're my master, master.**_"

"No, I'm not!"

"_**Yes, master, you are.**_"

"No!"

"_**Yes, master.**_"

"No!"

"_**Yes, master, I serve under you.**_"

"No! Sensei!" The boy's shout got the old Aura Guardian's attention quickly.

"What's the matter, Ash?" Riley and Lucario ran up to the trio with confused looks. "What's all this about?"

"Riolu keeps calling me master!" Ash stated with crossed arms. "Make him stop!"

Riley looked at the soon-to-be twelve year old boy with a weak smile.

"Ash... you're on your way to becoming an Aura Guardian, Riolu's your aura-pokemon." He tried to find the right words. "Every pokemon with the power of the aura calls his partner his 'master'."

"Why?"

"Because they can't surpass their Aura Guardian in power... they're either equally strong or weaker."

"Why?"

"That's the way it is, Ash." Riley shook his head. "Nobody can explain it... maybe it controls the obedience of the pokemon, I don't know."

"But, I don't want him to call me 'master'!"

"I'm sorry, Ash." Riley sighed. "But that's something you've to live with... I didn't like it when Lucario here started to call me that, but I don't notice it anymore... since I now know that it doesn't affect our friendship one bit!"

"A-are you... sure, sensei?" The boy asked hesitatingly.

"I'm sure." Riley smiled. "Now, go and get some sleep, we have a tough day in front of us tomorrow."

* * *

The two humans stood on either side of a field, looking intently towards the other. They had done this for several months now, and Ash only kept getting stronger and stronger.

The boy had figured out a long time ago that he couldn't beat the man only with his strength, his weight and height were also very small/short compared to said man... his only shot was his speed and flexibility.

"Pika! Pika!" Ash heard his rodent cheer him on at the side of the field, Lucario had given the two pokemon a break to see how the boy fared.

"Ready when you are, Ash." Ash growled at the man who seemed to only be playing with him, it just wasn't a fair fight!

The boy rushed towards the Aura Guardian at an incredible speed, only to be stopped by his strong arms and thrown onto his back.

Ash quickly got up again and aimed for the man's legs, but he was quickly jerked away from there and was, once again, thrown onto his back.

It would be enough for Ash to only make Riley land on his back just one time, and then his teacher would tell him the answer to all of his questions...

An idea struck Ash, he approached the man slowly, circling around him, looking for his weak spot.

Riley started to rotate in time with the boy, not taking his eyes off him for a second.

Then, Ash changed direction and started to circling the other way, Riley followed him. Then the boy changed direction again, and again and again... as soon as Riley had gotten used to rotate that direction Ash changed it.

The man soon grown tired on the boy's game and didn't keep his focus up enough, that's when Ash made his move and launched himself towards the man.

Ash felt himself contact with the man's chest and... well, that was it...

Riley laughed as he threw back the boy onto the ground, Ash didn't have enough weight to push him!

"A good try, Ash!" Riley nodded approvingly. "If you had been a little older, I might've lost there!"

"I'm not done yet!" Ash smirked through the sand he had got on his face and cloths. "... sensei..."

"Bring it on, Ash." The Aura Guardian smiled.

Ash got up and started to run towards the man. Riley could easily see that he wasn't going to turn in any direction, he was going to try and make a full on tackle to the front again...

The Aura Guardian sighed and braced himself for impact once again.

But, when Ash was but a meter from him, he threw the sand he had in his little fist.

Riley staggered back and growled as he felt the sand hit his eyes, blinding him for the moment.

Now was Ash's chance, he knew that he couldn't push him over... but he could do another thing.

The young boy threw his fist back and got a determined look on his face. He then threw it out and struck a spot that no man would want something to hit them on...

Riley groaned as he clasped the hands over his crotch and bent down, making his head come to the same level as Ash's.

The young boy then jumped up and used both his feet to kick the Aura Guardian on the shoulders...

The force and pain was too much for the man. He felt himself surrender to the pain and force and fell onto his back... he had lost...

Ash turned towards the two cheering pokemon, although the third and tallest one didn't look too happy. That made the boy to turn his direction back towards the Aura Guardian, who had overcome the worst of the pain and now laid and panted on the ground.

"Well... Ash..." Riley actually laughed as he got up, the pain still throbbing. "You finally learned..."

"Learned what, sensei?" Ash asked carefully as he backed away, afraid to get punished for his cheap shot.

"Learned that you sometimes need to think outside the box!" Riley smiled as he walked towards the stream and washed out the sand from his eyes. "That was a pretty smart move there, Ash."

"Thanks, teacher!" Ash sighed in relief, seems like he was going to live to see another day.

"And I'll keep to our agreement." Riley nodded towards the wall of nature that was surrounding the field that they were at. "let's go out, it's much nicer to look out towards the ocean."

"Okay, sensei." Ash nodded happily and followed him, with Lucario and the rest of the pokemon behind him.

* * *

"Now, Ash..." Riley looked at the boy. "What would you like to ask me?"

"A few years ago... when I just got here..." Ash recalled the memory. "Why didn't you want us to talk during our travel, and why did you want me to learn how to fight properly?"

"You sure you want to know?" Riley sighed and looked at the nodding boy. "Alright..."

Riley was quiet and looked out towards the ocean a little more before he decided to start.

"There's two kinds of Aura-people, Ash..." He noticed the confused look the boy had and sent him a weak smile. "There are those like me and your father, who dedicate our aura-powers to help and protect people and keep the peace in the world... and there are those who... don't do that..."

"What do you mean, sensei?"

"I'm talking about 'Dark Auras'..." Riley spoke the word 'Dark Aura' with such hate, the likes of which Ash never heard before. "They don't care about people... or, they do actually... They are only living for one purpose, and that's killing innocent humans and pokemon!"

"Why?" Ash didn't believe that there was such evil in the world out there, there had to be an explanation!

"Because, they think training like this is a waste..." Riley growled at the thought. "They don't train like this, Ash, they gain powers from killing other auras!"

The little boy gasped, who could be so evil?

"Why? Why do they kill? Have they no heart?"

"They only care about themselves, Ash." Riley shook his head. "They have the same kind of powers as us... except they use it for the wrong purpose."

"Is there any difference between an Aura Guardian and a Dark Aura?" Ash asked hesitatingly.

"Yes... and no..." Riley sighed a very deep sigh. "They also have a pokemon as partner, but it's one as evil as its master... but I guess that the biggest difference between us and them is that we have a blue aura... theirs are red or dark-colored..."

"Are you born with a particular type of aura?"

"No, they're exactly like you and me at a young age... the only thing that causes them to chose the path of the Dark Aura is their teacher's influence... and also their own choice." Riley still saw the look of confusion Ash had on his face and decided to keep going. "They have to choose the path they want to follow early in their training... if they chose it after they've become a true Guardian of the Aura it's too late... they need to choose it as an Aura-user... and they also need to enjoy killing..."

"They really like killing that much, sensei?"

"That's the only way they gain their powers on... they train by killing, nothing else."

"But..." Ash didn't ask the question he was about to ask, afraid of enraging his teacher.

"I know what you wanted to ask, Ash." Riley smiled, slightly troubled. "And the answer is: Yes, it is a lot easier to choose the path of a Dark Aura, you wouldn't need to do all this hard training and you reach the powers of a full Aura Guardian in only a couple of years..."

"How do you defeat them?" Ash suddenly asked, the question took Riley by surprise. "If they become so powerful at such a young age, then how do we defeat them?"

"That's simple." Riley smiled at the boy. "You can only train your Aura up to a certain level... and that level depends on the person... when you become a Guardian of the Aura your aura has reached its peak, it will never be stronger nor weaker, the only thing that can strengthen it is your mind and outer strength... your inner strength is your aura!"

It was a lot of information for the boy to take in, but he still did.

"Why did you not tell me about this before, sensei?" Ash asked hesitatingly again.

"Because I thought you weren't ready to hear it." Riley stated with a kind smile. "I didn't want you to worry. Since Dark Auras love to hunt down and kill Aura-users that haven't chosen path yet... you know, to keep the 'market' free for them..."

Ash gulped, he suddenly understood the purpose of all this intensive training.

"So now you see, Ash." Riley sighed. "The only thing that keeps a few Aura-users from not choosing the path of the Dark Aura is that they're convinced that they can do some good as an Aura Guardian..."

"Are there many Dark Auras and Aura Guardians out in the world?" Ash asked curiously.

"Dark Auras: A few... Aura Guardians: Not enough..." Riley sighed. "I don't know any other Aura Guardian other than myself... I've heard about one or two still out there, but they're very old and not of much use to us... but you can hear about Dark Auras' killing almost every day..."

"Can... can we... go back to training again?" Ash asked with a gulp. "I don't want to face a Dark Aura without giving one hell of a fight!"

Riley laughed, he felt relieved that Ash hadn't been tempted to join 'the other side'. The five beings got up and returned to the camp, planning to take a very well deserved sleep. Since tomorrow they would start to teach Ash and the others about combat again...

* * *

It had been a little less than a year since Ash had heard about the Dark Auras, and that only made him even more determined to train to be a Guardian of the Aura...

He had finally learned the lesson that attacking isn't always the best solution to end a battle quickly, even if he took many beatings from the wooden staff, he had actually managed to defeat Riley in one out of three times that they fought... which was an incredible improvement for a boy of only 12½ years old.

They had now started the thing Ash had looked forward to most... the controlling of the Aura...

Riolu and Pikachu had also improved, even Lucario had praised them for their work from time to time and it seemed like they were equally as strong as Ash, which was very good.

Ash stood at the side of Riley and mimicked his movements. His right foot was placed a little back, while his left foot was placed in front of his body. He had his left shoulder forward and had his hands at the same level as his chest, looking like he was concentrating.

"Come on, Ash, focus!" Riley spoke to him with a harsh voice, only trying to disrupt his focus. "You're in a fight! You need to summon your Aura-powers! It's taking too long!"

Ash slowly opened his eyes, they had taken a light blue tone and were looking straight forward. In his hands a blue orb was starting to form, it started out really small, almost invisible, but it grew bigger and bigger with each moment that Ash focused. Soon, the orb was as big as his head, like he had learned to do a couple of weeks ago.

"That's great, Ash!" Riley shouted to him. "Now, destroy that target!"

The young trainer grunted slightly as he threw the orb towards the tree, it looked as fast and powerful as a real Aura Sphere... and it had the same effects too...

The tree had a little hole in its trunk and was burnt all around the area where the orb had hit, even Lucario had to admit that it was very well done.

"Nice work, Ash!" Riley praised him, almost exploding with pride. "It took me years to only summon a little aura in my hand!"

"But I still can't concentrate when I need to..." Ash sighed. "In battle, I would be dead before I could get that thing away."

"It's only something you need to work on, Ash." Riley comforted him.

"But I can form a shield without any problem!" Ash proved this by easily summoning a large shield of Aura around himself with his hands. "Why can't I do this with the orb?"

"Because, the shield is in direct contact to you." Riley smiled weakly. "I understand your impatience, but you need to understand that an orb takes much more concentration to summon and throw."

"But I AM concentrating!" Ash stated stubbornly. "But I still can't use it! What's wrong?"

"Alright, there's one more thing..." Riley sighed and walked up to Ash. "You still have one thing that's preventing you from using an Aura Attack, why you're only focusing on defense."

"What's that?" Ash wanted to know what was preventing him from completing the task, he needed to know. "What is preventing me?"

"I was planning on giving this to you later..." Riley said slowly. "But I guess that you'll need it now..."

He walked towards their equipment pile and searched through a sack which Ash had been forbidden to look inside of a long time ago.

Soon Riley found what he was looking for and took out some long object that which was covered in a brown cloth.

"This, Ash." Riley threw off the cloth and showed him the beautiful sword. "Was the sword that we found on you before we took you to the royal family!"

"That's... that's..." Ash recognized the sword very well, but he couldn't place where...

"This is the Sword of Kanto, Ash." Riley smiled and threw it to Ash.

The little boy caught it, he remembered it all now... Samuel Oak, the bandits, Pallet Town... his mother...

He even remembered the first time he had held that weapon, it was taller than him then... now, he was taller than the sword by quite a bit. He could hold it in one hand and pointed it outwards, causing the sheathed edge point straight towards Riley.

"Why did you have the Sword of Kanto?" Ash demanded, glaring at him. "Samuel Oak gave it to ME!"

"I know." Riley nodded. "Try to think logically about this: You were staying with the royal family of KANTO there was no way in Sinnoh that you would've been able to keep the sword!"

"You're right..." Ash lowered his head, ashamed for having blamed his teacher for theft. "I'm sorry, sensei."

"Don't worry, Ash." Riley smiled weakly. "Go ahead, pull it out and tell me how it feels in your hand."

Ash did as he was told and pulled the sword out of its sheath, it glimmered in the sun as Ash read the old inscription and remembered what Oak had told him about it, the sword didn't feel all that heavy anymore, he could actually swing it rather easily... it felt like a wooden-sword in his hand!

"You wanted to know how to release your Aura to the fullest." Riley stated as he walked to the other side of the field, which Ash stood at. "The thought of your past still lingers in your head and body, you're unconsciously refusing to use any attacks."

"I... I don't understand, sensei." Ash looked hesitantly towards him, the sword still in his hand. "What are you talking about."

"This is no more training, Ash. No more wooden-swords or sticks, no more holding back... this is where we fight with our lives at stake!" He drew out his sword and looked at the boy. "Defend yourself!"

"I'm not going to fight you, sensei!" Ash called desperately to his teacher. "I don't want to fight you!"

"How are you expecting to survive if you refuse to fight me?" Riley shouted as he charged towards the boy. "Attack!"

He threw a real strike towards the aspiring Aura Guardian. Ash quickly parried it with his sword and felt the metal vibrate in his hands. Even with the current circumstances, he had to admit that he enjoyed the feeling of a sword in his hands...

Riley struck once again, this time aiming towards his leg. Ash automatically jumped up and evaded it, and then his mind didn't pause to think as he threw a blow towards his teacher, who avoided it and got a satisfied look on his face.

"I see you've begun to fight back." He nodded liking. "That's more like it, attack me!"

Ash did as he was told and charged him with his sword pointed straight towards the man's heart. He took a leap and changed the direction of the sword so it was aimed towards the man's head.

Riley sidestepped easily and made it such that Ash hit the ground with the sword.

"Focus!" He shouted at the boy. "This isn't a game! It's the real thing!"

He showed it by throwing a strong Aura Sphere towards the boy, making Ash summon a shield around himself quickly to block it. The boy could feel the powers drawing from his spirit as the shield was struck.

He tried to do the same thing by placing himself in battle-position, his sword stuck into the ground. He put his hands together and concentrated on the energies flowing towards his hands, but he was interrupted when another orb came flying towards him, forcing him to dodge.

"No wonder you couldn't protect your mother and Oak." Riley looked at him with disappointment. "You're too weak!"

"I've been training!" Ash cried back and charged him with his sword held over his head.

They exchanged blows and parries with each other for a while, before Ash was forced back again.

"The training is not REAL!" Riley shouted and kicked him onto the ground, where Ash had to roll away from his falling sword; the metal hit the sand only a few centimeters from his head. "Focus! Where's your aura?"

"It's with me!"

"Then show it!"

Ash tried once again to summon an Aura Sphere, but the same thing happened and he had to interrupt it to prevent from being hit by another sphere.

"You'd been dead by now if this was against a Dark Aura!" Riley stated, disappointed, as he kicked the trainer once more. He had somehow appeared right behind him. "Your father would be disappointed if he saw you now!"

"Don't talk about him that way!" Ash snapped and swiped his sword at Riley's throat, but the man evaded it.

"Why not?" The Aura Guardian queried. "Why can't I talk about your father? I knew him better than you did!"

"Shut up!" Ash cried out, he wasn't even thinking about the tricks and tactics that he had been learned, he only attacked and parried on instinct.

"If you had been like your father, the pillagers would've never touched Pallet!" Riley smirked as he saw the boy's enraged face. "It's all your fault!"

"No!" Ash shook his head, making him vulnerable for a kick from Riley once again.

"It's your fault that your mother's dead!"

Something snapped in Ash's head when he heard those words. He didn't feel any pain, any tiredness, any joy, any pity, any compassion... he only felt anger towards his opponent.

He cried out in a roar that seemed impossible to come from such little boy as he charged the man. Riley, who had been waiting for him, parried his blow and pushed him away. Ash was quickly up on his feet and jumped towards the Aura Guardian once again.

"You're fighting against your anger!" Riley stated as he pushed the boy back once again. "Fight with it! Use it!"

Ash's face grew red and it darkened eyes, the light blue aura in his eyes was replaced with a red glow and he got a wild look on his face as he roared and charged the Aura Guardian.

"_No..._" Riley shook his head which had a shocked expression on it. "_Not the son of Sir Aaron... not like this..._"

The two swords met and sparks came from their impact, the two combatants faces were only a few centimeters from each other as they looked sharply at the other.

"Is this what you want... Ash?" Riley growled through his breath as he forced the boy backwards.

The Aura Guardian then felt something swept his legs out from under him, he cried out in surprise as he fell down backwards, Ash had kicked away his legs...

When Riley opened his eyes he could see the sharp edge of his own sword being held against his throat. He could see Lucario starting to make a motion towards them, but Riley ordered him not to. The Aura Guardian looked at the boy with an unreadable expression.

"Is this what you want, Ash?" He asked again. "Do you enjoy it?"

He could hear the sword clatter beside him, followed by the body of a young boy.

The child had started to cry as he had curled up in the sand, even his pokemon were too afraid to go near him as he lay there and wept.

Riley simply put a hand on the boy's shoulder, making him look up.

"This isn't what you want, isn't that right?"

The boy simply shook his head and continued to cry.

"It's alright, Ash." Riley smiled as he tried to comfort the boy. "Hate and anger isn't something that an Aura Guardian is forbidden to feel... but you can't let it control you! When the time comes, you'll learn to use it to your advantage."

The boy nodded, then sniffled and stood up on shaky legs.

"I... I had that... feeling..." Ash gulped as he remembered it. "It was so... dark... I felt such hate..."

"You were about to chose the path of a Dark Aura." Riley nodded knowingly. "That's one more reason for the lack of Aura Guardians... too many fail at this, last test."

"'l... last test'?" The boy asked, hesitantly.

"Yes, Ash." Riley smiled at him. "This was the last test, I can't teach you anything more that you'll not learn along the way."

"But... but I'm..."

"I know that you're barely 13, Ash." Riley nodded. "And I still have a hard time believing that you've learned all those things in such a short time... but you have a powerful will and aura, there's no other explanation."

"But... how can I've learned everything?" Ash asked hesitantly. "I don't know how to make an Aura Sphere!"

"You don't?" Riley smirked and motioned the boy to go towards the 'shooting range'. "Go ahead, try it again."

The boy sighed and placed himself in the combat-position once again, he put his hands together and started to concentrate.

Then, right after he had done that, he could feel a fully enlarged orb in his hands, waiting to be thrown at any moment.

Ash sent it away towards the tree, which then exploded and was divided in half.

Ash looked in awe at what he had just done, he also heard Lucario and Riley clap and Pikachu and Riolu cheer for him, he then got a big smile on his face.

"How's this even possible?" He turned towards his teacher and asked, the smile still on his face.

"The emotional blockade of your mother's death prevented you from doing it." Riley only smiled as he explained to the boy. "Now, when you've released your emotions and anger, it's gone."

Ash didn't fully understand that, but what he did understand what that he was able to fully use the power of the aura.

"I am an Aura Guardian now, sensei?" He asked eagerly.

"No, not yet." Riley laughed weakly as he saw Ash's face fall. "We have to wait for the right sign."

"Sign?" Ash asked in confusion, what was the man talking about? "What sign?"

"I can't tell you." Riley shook his head, then a thought struck him. "Hey, what do you say that we have one last battle?"

"You and me, again?" The trainer asked with a tilted head.

"Yeah." Riley nodded. "It's against the code for Aura Guardians to battle each other... but they didn't say anything about their apprentices and their teachers!"

"I'm in!" Ash cheered and ran to his side on the field where he drew his sword.

Then, to the boy's big confusion, a rodent and a blue pokemon were running to his side and took their battle-positions.

"Guys, I'm going to battle here!" The boy whined and wanted the pokemon to leave the field. "Not you!"

"Actually, Ash..." Riley smiled, as his Lucario stood at his side. "It's necessary for an Aura Guardian to be able to battle with his pokemon!"

"But I can do that already!" Ash stated. It was true, he and his pokemon had trained together several times during these past years, he even fought against Riley and his Lucario. "I want to face you alone!"

"_**Come on, master!**_" He could hear Riolu's voice in his head. "_**Let us be with you, too!**_"

"_**Oh.. alright then.**_" Ash smiled back to his pokemon.

"_**That's great, PikaPi!**_" The boy jumped high into the air as he heard the unknown voice in his head.

"Sensei!" The boy's excited scream got Riley's attention right away.

"Yes, Ash?"

"I can communicate with Pikachu through my aura!"

"What?" The Aura Guardian's outburst made the trio to jump high into the air. "That's impossible! Only a fully trained Aura Guardian could do that!"

"This means that I'm an Aura Guardian then?" Ash asked eagerly once again, he really couldn't wait for that moment.

"No, Ash..." Riley, who was still struck by the latest news, answered him calmly. "We still need to wait for the right signs."

"What signs!" Ash was starting to grow tired of all those half-answered questions that he was receiving all the time, when could he-

"_**Master...?**_" He head Riolu's voice in his head, making him look towards the pokemon.

"_**What, Riolu?**_"

"_**Something feels strange...**_"

Then a bright silver light engulfed the little jackal-pokemon and he was starting to grow bigger.

"No way..." Ash's and Pikachu's eyes widened as they saw their friends evolve. "That's not possible!"

"Cario!" The newly evolved Lucario stated with a proud smile, finally he had also evolved.

"I'm surprised that your Lucario would evolve this soon." Riley, and his Lucario, walked up to them.

"Thanks, sensei!" Ash laughed as he and Pikachu hugged their new, bigger friend.

"You don't need to call me 'sensei' anymore, not 'teacher' either." Riley smiled as he felt a lump in his throat.

Ash's, Pikachu's and the newly evolved Lucario's eyes widened.

"Does... does this mean that..." Ash hadn't the strength to say it.

"Kneel." After Ash had obeyed him, Riley took out his sword. "As my authority as a Guardian of the Aura." He touched Ash's left shoulder with it. "I hereby declare you as: Sir Ash Aaron Ketchum, Guardian of the Aura." He finally touched Ash's right shoulder. "Arise, protector of the Aura!"

Ash got up and smiled wide, the two Lucarios and Pikachu smiled also big as they looked at the new Guardian of the Aura.

"Aura Guardian before 13..." Riley smiled at him. "You beat your father there!"

"Thanks, Sir" Ash bowed slightly for him.

"No, Sir Ash." Riley shook his head. "Aura Guardian is the highest that you can achieve, I don't stand over you and you don't stand under me, we're equals in titles, age doesn't matter!"

"Do I need to call you 'sir'?" Ash asked, rather nervously.

"When we're around people, yes." Riley nodded. "But when it's only us the five of us around... no, call me Riley."

"Alright, Riley!" They shook hands and traded laughs, this was the moment Ash had been dreaming of for several years.

"I reckon we should get some sleep." Riley said quickly. "Tomorrow you're ready to leave this place, and we're going to visit the town close-by... the people of Kanto need to know that there's a new Guardian of the Aura that they can count on!"

**End of chapter 3**

* * *

**Well... that was it, he's now an Aura Guardian!**

**Some of you might be critical to Ash's young age... but it all depends on the aura of the person, and not his skill, strength or age, there's some people there who trained and trained and never reached the title "Aura Guardian" or "Dark Aura"...  
You might also think Riley was too cruel to Ash... well, he was feeling stressed to learn Ash everything and so on, can't really explain that any better.**

**Quiz Time: since I'm a big fan of movies... I've kinda remade a small dialog from a famous movie, see if you can find it!**

**Still haven't got any answer for why people apologize for late reviews... or, maybe it's just us Swedes who's so impolite that we're not doing it :P**

**It's better to review later than never and I'll see you in the next chapter!**

**R&R!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, and welcome to the fourth chapter of the story!**

**I would like to thank Justicez for taking his time with looking over the chapter and correcting the (many) grammatical problems :P**

**Now... for the quiz... you all had wrong, but you also had right :P  
I can't say you had wrong, since I've never seen "Karate Kid"... what I was referring to was "Batman Begins", you know, when he was training and the and that guy said "Training's not REAL!" And so on... no? Guess I was the only one then :P**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter! (and a new quiz at the end of it too!)**

**I hope you'll enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!  
**

* * *

"Man..." The young boy yawned as he stretched. "I had this great dream, I was an Aura Guardian and-"

"_**It was no dream, master.**_" Ash's eyes shot open as he heard the voice in his head.

"_**Yeah, PikaPi! You're a real Guardian now!**_" A little mouse's voice was also heard. "_**You made it!**_"

"Alright!" Ash jumped up from his seat in happiness and excitement. "I'm an Aura Guardian!"

"And with that comes responsibility!" The mature voice of Riley declared as he came to the young boy with something in his hands. "Even if you're only thirteen, you still need to act like a model for other people... it's us that most people look up to!"

"Yeah..." Ash rubbed the back of his head; he had forgotten about that part... "What's that in your hand?"

"This?" Riley smiled and threw the clothes towards Ash. "A present!"

The boy's eyes widened once again as he saw the clothes, it was the clothes for an Aura Guardian.

"T- They're... mine...?" He asked, both stunned and excited. "Why's two sets though?"

"That's easy!" Riley laughed as he looked at the confused boy. "You must understand, nobody has become an Aura Guardian at such young age... they usually only become one at about twenty! So I had to order a specially-made outfit for you... the other set is for when you've finally stopped growing!"

"I see..." Ash didn't even listen to the man's explanation; he was still too stunned to believe what had really happened.

"Is everything alright, Ash?" The older Aura Guardian asked confused, the boy had a troubled look on his face.

"Well..." Ash hesitated once again. "What happens now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Will we part ways? Will we head back to the castle? Do I need to go at this alone? Do-" The younger Aura Guardian was stopped mid-rant by the older one.

"Ash..." Riley smiled sadly. "Understand that the way of the Aura is a dangerous path... I'm almost certain to not live much longer-... no, Ash, I'm not joking. Dark Auras would do anything to kill an Aura Guardian, it's in their nature and mindset... and remember this, an Aura Guardian needs to always be ready to sacrifice his life for another, remember that."

"I'll remember." Ash nodded and looked at the taller man. "But, still, what are we going to do now?"

"I'm going to show you off to a town." Riley patted him on the back, a little too hard. "Get ready, we've a long way in front of us!"

* * *

Two humans and three pokemon sat in a boat which was being pulled by a friendly water-pokemon. They were on their way to Route 18, and then onto Fuschia City.

The pokemon in the boat were two strong-looking Lucarios, and a small, yet powerful, yellow rodent. The two Lucarios sat beside their masters and the Pikachu at the end of the boat, scouting the surroundings.

The two humans in the boat were very similarly dressed... they both had blue clothes, cloaks and hats with the mark of a Pidgeot's eye on them... they were both wearing boots and gray pants and undershirts, but they had blue vests over their shirts, giving them a rather regal look. The only major difference between them was that one was a much smaller version of the other, and that the smaller one had a very long sword on his back and the other one had a shorter sword at his waist.

"So, Ash..." Riley, the taller man, decided to break the silence. "Did you ever wonder how it went for Lady Leafiona and Sir Richard?"

"Yeah..." Ash was silent for a moment, he still missed his old friends of the Kanto royal family... "How do you know about them?"

"Don't you think I pick up the latest gossip when I'm out of town?" Riley looked at him with an amused look. "Every time I left camp was to either look for supplies, clothes or hear the latest news!"

"Then... what are they doing?" The boy asked with a slight frown.

"Well..." Riley strained to recall. "Prince Richard has just recently come home from Hoenn... Lady Leafiona has been at the castle for quite some time now..."

"Why?" Ash asked, confused. "When we split up, Richie said that he would only be in Sinnoh for a week... and Leaf would be in Hoenn for a much longer time!"

"Hehe..." Riley laughed nervously as he thought back to the rumors that he had been told. "It seems that Lady Leafiona didn't appreciate the prince of Hoenn's advances that much... she made him look like a fool in front of several people."

"How?" Ash was laughing now, he could actually imagine the pretty girl doing something stupid and drastic against the Shu-prince.

"I don't know." Riley shook his head at the thought. "There's too many theories behind it... although many believe that it had something to do with water..."

"Really? That's great!"

"In what way is it 'great', Ash?" Riley asked with a hard glare at the boy, causing him and Pikachu to stop laughing. "She was sent there to improve our relationship with the region... she only made it worse! Now they will surely make a move on us, to take back their honor."

"But we'll stand ready!" Ash smiled and patted the hilt of his long-sword, which was placed on his back. "I'll never let them enter this land without a fight!"

"That's good." Riley nodded in agreement, it seemed like Ash was beginning to understand the ways of the Aura more and more.

"And Richie?" The boy finally asked, they were closing in on the shore . "Why did he come home so late... did the princess like him there?"

"Eeh..." Riley suddenly became even more embarrassed, although it was not for the same reason. "You see... Prince Richard, from what I've heard, had grown very fond of the princess... but she didn't seem to take much of a liking to him, so... well, she behaved pretty much like Leafiona did..."

The boy and his pokemon were rolling around in laughter, even on this small boat. It was typical of Richie to be too proud to admit defeat in such things. That's probably the reason why he had stayed so long.

"So, the Berlitz-princess is pretty?" The little boy asked suddenly, taking Riley by surprise.

"What? Oh, that's what they're saying... I've never seen her, but I've heard rumors that she has her mother's blue and silken hair and-... Ash, are you even listening?"

"Not really..." The boy didn't notice the older man's anime-face fault. "Look! We're almost there!"

'Almost' was an understatement, since they crashed into the bank a moment later, causing Pikachu to fall straight out of the boat.

The humans and pokemon looked at the landscape.

There was a big forest beyond the little beach, but between the forest and the sand stood a big guard-tower. The guards in it noticed the two Aura Guardians and their pokemon and saluted, Riley answered their salutes and Ash did a hasty one as well.

The Aura Guardians and their pokemon walked past the guard-tower without talking to the guards and continued to walk into the woods.

Fuschia City was a small coastal city, although a small forest was growing around it... it seemed to have some sort of park that was only for recreational purposes, and the people there seemed... mysterious...

"Sir Riley?" Ash used Riley's title now as they were around people.

"Yes, Sir Ash?" Riley asked kindly, although he kept his eyes open and scouted their surroundings.

"What's up with the people here?" The boy looked at the passing humans and pokemon. "They seem so... dark..."

"You're picking up their Aura, Sir Ash." Riley answered him with a calm voice. "And they seem dark because this is the town that specializes in assassination training."

Ash and his pokemon quickly put themselves on guard at those words, he despised the assassins for killing a person without their notice...

"Don't worry, Sir Ash." Riley laughed as he saw the boy stiffen up. "Assassins aren't a threat for a Guardian of the Aura, we can tell when they attack and avoid it before they do!"

"We can?" The younger Aura Guardian asked with wide eyes.

Riley didn't answer him, he only struck out at Ash's head with his right hand. Ash dodged the blow quickly and looked at him with an annoyed look, but the older man was only smiling.

"See? I told you so!" He then started to laugh as they entered some kind of pub. "But be wary here though ... they're also expert at potions and poisons..."

The boy stopped suddenly as Riley went inside, he looked at his two pokemon who seemed equally worried... but then they took courage and entered the dark building.

* * *

The chatter and laughter died down when the people spotted the two humans and three pokemon at the door. Aura Guardians were an unusual sight to see... especially two at the same time.

The younger one stood there with his hands nervously twitching towards the handle of his sword, but the older one only stared down a few of the people in there before he went to a table and sat himself down, quickly followed by the other male and the pokemon.

The peoples' gazes were still on them. But, one after another, they started to talk with each other and soon the two Aura Guardians were almost forgotten and they could have a discrete conversation once again.

"Well, Ash." Riley whispered to him. "This is generally how you're greeted by normal people, those who aren't part of the upper class."

"It is...?" The boy gulped along with his rodent, he had a bad feeling about this...

"Yes." Riley nodded, but then his face cracked up into a smile. "But don't worry, it's mostly because you look so young, I don't think they believed that we were Aura Guardians at first!"

"I see..." The young boy hesitated; and then looked at the man. "So, what are we going to do now? Seems like people know that there's a new Aura Guardian here now and-"

"Ash..." Riley shook his head with a smirk on his face. "Are you nervous? That's no way for an Aura Guardian to behave!"

"N-no!" The boy stuttered. "I was only saying that-"

"It's okay!" Riley once again gave him a slap on the back, causing the boy to wince slightly. "I remember when your father introduced me to others for the first time, I was almost wetting my pants!"

"How old were you?"

"Twenty-five..." Riley's face had a slightly red tinge as the boy and pokemon started to laugh at him. "Yeah, hilarious... come on, we need to move."

"What?" The boy got an even more confused look on his face. "Then why did we come in here for?"

"To spread the rumor." Riley smiled at him in a sagely way. "The word on the street will now be that two Aura Guardians are here... but we still need to introduce you to the people in person!"

"I don't like this..." Ash mumbled as he was being dragged out by his former teacher...

* * *

"'Introduce you to the people in person'?" Ash mimicked Riley's last words with a hint of sarcasm, as he stood beside him. "Yeah... that's about right..."

"When we're there, you'll see." The older Aura Guardian stated as he looked at the big walled-in estate in front of them, the pokemon nervously looking around themselves. "This is the House of Koga, the master of all assassins here."

"That's a relief..." The young boy muttered, the pokemon agreed with him.

"He's also the mayor of this town." The man smirked as he saw the boy's surprised expression. "Yes, they're not complete savages here."

"I'm still not going to drink anything he offers me..." Ash continued to mutter, slightly offended, and the pokemon still nodded with him.

"Let's just go." Riley laughed and walked up to the guarded gates. "Hail! We're here to visit Koga Kyo, the master of poison!"

"Enter, he's been expecting you." The guards, who were dressed in dark clothes and equipped with throwing-stars and a short dagger, nodded and stood aside.

"See, Ash?" Riley whispered to him as they walked towards the door. "I told you there wouldn't be any danger!"

"It's not over yet, Riley." Ash muttered. Who would judge the boy? He hadn't seen so many people in such a short time in three years! "I still think they're waiting for the right moment to attack."

"Not likely, Ash." Riley shook his head with a smile, but then he got a serious look on his face. "But, remember, don't let them take your weapon at the door... an Aura Guardian never abandons his weapon!"

"Understood, sir." Ash smiled a bit at the dumbfounded look Riley got on his face as he said that word. "We're here."

The door was big and brown, made of a strong oak-like material; it had some unfamiliar inscriptions on it... probably the language of the assassins... The large door opened itself automatically as soon as they walked up to it, showing them a darkened room.

"Use your Aura Vision, guys." Riley whispered to Ash and the pokemon.

The two Lucarios and Ash nodded as their eyes started to shine slight light blue, causing them to see everything in the dark...

"Pikachu, return." Ash whispered to his partner, who quickly jumped inside the pack Ash was carrying over the sheath of his sword. He didn't want to risk Pikachu's life, since he didn't have the power of the Aura.

They silently walked inside, their hands on their sheathed swords and scanned their surroundings quickly.

There room they entered was big and bare. The floor and ceiling was made of wood, but the walls appeared to be made of a softer material. On the other side of the room there were a big scroll hanging on the wall, written in the same language as the one at the door.

"What the hell is this, Riley?" Ash asked nervously as his eyes darted from place to place in the room. "What kind of trickery is this?"

"Koga! I know you're here!" Riley simply ignored Ash and looked around the room. "How about giving us some light?"

Suddenly, the room was completely lit up and a man emerged from a hidden passage on the right side of the room, laughing.

"Still as hard to trick as ever, Sir Riley!" Koga laughed once again. His eyes were black as a raven's and his hair was completely blue, although it had the same style as Ash's and Riley's, the only difference in it was that it was only a bit shorter; it poked out in every direction. "Well, who's this little fella?"

"Don't play games, assassin!" Riley growled at him as he placed himself between the Master of Assassins and the boy. "You know who this is, only a fool wouldn't know Sir Ash Ketchum, descendant of Sir Aaron Ketchum, a Guardian of the Aura!"

"So..." Koga examined the boy closely, causing Ash's hand to twitch towards his sword's hilt again. "The son of Sir Aaron has finally become an Aura Guardian? And at such a young age too!"

"That's right, sir." Ash gulped, but he refused to show any fear for the old assassin. "I'm a Guardian of the Aura!"

Koga simply ignored the young boy and turned towards the older Aura Guardian.

"Why are you here? You're nothing but trouble when you come around!"

"Shut it!" Riley growled once again, it seemed like something had happened between those two. "We're here to collect something that truly belongs to Sir Ash!"

"I see..." Koga seemed to know what he was talking about as he walked towards the hidden passage. "Follow me, this won't take long."

Ash and the pokemon were about to follow him, but Riley stopped them.

"Pikachu and Lucario will follow me." He stated with a serious look. "Ash, you and your Lucario will stay here... if you hear something, run and keep running."

"Alright, Riley." Ash nodded, knowing what could happen, the world's a dangerous place after all. "Good luck."

The older Aura Guardian only nodded before he walked into the hidden passage in the wall, causing him and the two pokemon disappear into the darkness.

"_**I don't like this, Lucario.**_" The blue aura-pokemon looked at the boy. "_**It's too quiet!**_"

"_**Why, master?**_" Lucario asked with a frown as he also looked around the room. "_**There's only us here, I doubt anyone would be so stupid as to attack an Aura Guardian and his pokemon.**_"

"_**But still...**_" The young boy shot him a nervous look. "_**What if they do? I've never taken a man's life before!**_"

"_**If you do it in self-defense, you've all right.**_" Lucario calmly explained it to his nervous master. "_**The ways of the Aura is to survive, and let other people live... at least those who deserve it...**_"

"_**How can it be that I'm the 'leader' of us?**_" Ash laughed a bit with his pokemon at his words. "_**Seriously, you seem much wiser than me!**_"

"_**A Lucario's coming of age is when it evolves.**_" The aura-pokemon smiled calmly. "_**You still have a long way to go, master.**_"

"_**Thanks Luca-**_" Ash halted himself as he felt some disturbance in his aura. "_**Did you feel that?**_"

"_**Ambush!**_" Lucario roared as he began to summon an Aura Sphere. Ash placed himself back to back with Lucario, his sword drawn.

"_**Keep your eyes open!**_" The young Aura Guardian snapped at his pokemon, who only grunted in response. "_**It could come anywhere...**_"

Then, out of nowhere, a rain of sharp throwing stars came towards them.

Ash and Lucario, who used their aura, easily avoided the attacks, clearly surprising the person who attacked them.

"_**To the right!**_" Ash declared and threw a big Aura Sphere towards the spot in question, causing the wall to explode and a body to fall out.

"_**You got him, master!**_" Lucario stated, feeling both proud and happy.

But, that was not the case. The being in question coughed before it got up, looking at them through a black mask.

Then the human removed the mask and showed a very feminine and very angry face. She had short and pointy blue hair, tied up in a pony-tail, she had clear blue eyes and a long katana strapped to her back.

She quickly drew it and stared at them with dark eyes.

"Venonat!" She screamed. "I need your help!"

Out of nowhere popped a small, furry and purple ball-like thing, standing at the girl's side.

"They attacked me!" She told her pokemon, who listened intently. "They tried to kill me!"

"What? Hold on-" Ash was about to explain himself to the girl, who seemed to be a few years older than him. But her pokemon let out a terrifying loud scream and began to charge towards the Aura Guardian and his pokemon. "_**Lucario! Get ready!**_"

The aura-pokemon nodded as he summoned an Aura Sphere and threw it towards the charging pokemon, who quickly avoided it.

"_**Close combat!**_" Ash ordered his pokemon and held the sword over his head. "_**Let's take them down!**_"

"_**Yes, master!**_"

But, when Ash and Lucario struck the pokemon, it vanished! It had disappeared in the thin air.

"Damn assassins..." Ash muttered under his breath and focused his aura around the room, then his eyes shot wide open. "**_Behind us!_**"

He quickly blocked the blow from the girl, and Lucario pushed away the pokemon, the fight had broken out.

The girl seemed to know what she was doing. Every time Ash was about to strike her she vanished, but she could never lay a blow on Ash since he could see her attacks before they came... although he could not keep doing this forever, he had to figure something out.

"_**Master! Look out!**_" Ash quickly summoned an Aura Shield around himself and Lucario, protecting them from the toxic spit the furry purple ball was shooting at them. "_**We need to do something, master, and quick!**_"

"_**I'm thinking!**_"

"_**Should we alert Sir Riley?**_"

"_**No! We need to sort this out ourselves!**_"

The pokemon nodded and they quickly split up, confusing their opponents for the moment.

Another star flew past Ash, why couldn't she stick to close-combat? Then the thought struck Ash, she knew that he was more superior to her in close-combat... that's why she tried to take him at a distance! Well... he would show her that he knew another thing or two...

"_**Lucario! It's time to show them our Aura Spheres!**_" Ash declared with a determined look, his pokemon looked relieved.

"_**Alright, master.**_"

"_**On me!**_"

When Lucario was close enough, Ash put up his hands and surrounded them in a large and strong shield, causing the girl and her pokemon look at them in confusion.

"Bring it on, you ugly hag!" Ash's remark seemed to have struck a nerve as a vein appeared on the girl's face and she let out a cry and threw everything she had at the shield, along with her pokemon who fired with all it could muster.

"_**Now!**_" Ash lowered the shield as he, and Lucario, each threw their Aura Spheres, but not towards the girl and pokemon... they threw them at the ceiling, causing it to crash down onto them and immobilize their opponents for a short while.

* * *

The girl shook her head, what had hit her? Then she remembered, she was in a battle! She quickly got up and saw that she was... surrounded by a blue light along with her pokemon?

"Hey!" She only got more enraged as she saw the slightly younger boy laugh at her. "What do you think you're doing? Let me out!"

"_**Master...**_" Lucario seemed to think. "_**As much as I enjoy seeing her trapped... why didn't we finish her?**_"

"_**Because then we wouldn't be any better than the Dark Auras.**_" Ash explained with a kind smile as focused on keeping the aura shield up. "_**They can't do anything to us now.**_"

"_**That's the reason why you're my master, master.**_" Lucario smiled proudly, causing Ash to sweat-drop slightly.

"Hey!" Another one of the girl's shout got his attention. "I'm talking to you!"

"So?" A frown appeared on the young boy's face.

"It's common courtesy to give me an answer!"

"First you tried to kill us..." Ash looked at her with a look that nobody could translate. "And now you're whining at me for not having any courtesy?"

"I'm NOT whining!" The young girl crossed her arms inside the shield and turned around. "You're the one who whines!"

"Crybaby..." Ash smirked at the look of anger that appeared on the girl's face.

"I am not a crybaby!"

"Yes, you are."

"Am Not!"

"Are to!"

"Not! You're the crybaby!"

"You've been defeated, take it like a man..." Ash quickly realized his mistake. "No, forget it... just quit crying."

"I'm NOT CRYING!" The girl started to hit the shield even more with her fists, along with her pokemon who had also become even more enraged. "You cheated!"

"I survived." Lucario was actually surprised at the calm in Ash's voice. "And show a little appreciation for sparing your life."

"You got lucky! If you only fought fair I would've taken you down!"

"And if you'd stopped hiding all the time, you would've been dead." Ash smirked at the girl's even more enraged face as her body shook in anger.

"I was NOT HIDING!" She screamed, but she had given up hope of breaking the shield. "I was battling in the ways of a Ninja!"

"'Ninja'?" The young guardian asked with a frown. "More like a coward!"

"Am not!"

"Are to."

"Am No-"

"What's going on!" Koga and Riley had returned, and they looked rather confused at the scene. "Why is my daughter trapped inside that bubble?"

"Sir Ash, tell me what happened." Riley looked dumbfounded at him but still had his calm voice. "Did we... interrupt something?"

"WHAT?" The children shouted, then they looked at each other and quickly turned their heads away. "GROSS!"

"Then, please, tell me..." Koga breathed heavily. "Why's my daughter trapped inside that... thing?"

"She was trying to kill me, Koga." Ash looked directly at the man's eyes, without blinking. "As soon as you disappeared, she attacked me and Lucario."

"He's an intruder, dad!" The girl cried out and started to hit the shield even more. "He tried to kill Venonat and me!"

"Self defense." Ash calmly responded, then sent the girl a hard glare. "And I was invited here, so you can tell your-... wait a minute... DAD?"

"That's right, Sir Ash." Riley nodded calmly, although he wanted to laugh at the scene. "This is Janine, Koga's daughter."

"Eeh..." Ash looked unsure at the daughter of the poison master as he lowered the shield, allowing her to fall gently to the ground. "Nice to meet... you...?"

"'Nice to mee-'" The bewildered look Janine had on her face was interrupted by Riley.

"And this is Sir Ash Ketchum, Aura Guardian." He smiled at the surprised and shy look the girl immediately got on her face.

"A... Aura... Guardian...?" Her beat-red face was not fooling Riley.

"We were about to go... but maybe we can stay here a little more, don't you think so, Sir Ash?" The older Aura Guardian winked at the younger, hoping he would get the hint. "So you and Janine can get to know each other a little more?"

"Hell no!" Ash's sudden outburst surprised everyone, except his pokemon. "I'm not going to stay here and get attacked by a crazy girl again! If I wanted that, I can simply return to the castle!"

"What are you-"

"Long story." Riley interrupted Koga, who had an annoyed look on his face. "It's better not to talk about it, believe me."

"Alright..." Koga looked at the scene that was occurring in front of him. "How about staying for dinner, then?"

"No/Yes/Luc/Cario/Pi!" Was the sound of three beings who didn't want to and two who wanted to. "Come on, Sir Ash. How long has it been since you've eaten a real meal?"

Ash only glared at the old Aura Guardian, not knowing what he was up to.

"Fine..." Ash muttered after a while. "We'll stay and have something to eat... But I'll have Lucario and Pikachu seated beside me and my sword in my hand!"

"O...kay...?" Koga hesitated at the boy's very strange demands. "I think we can manage... that..."

"Then it's settled!" Riley laughed and clapped his hands together.

"_**I don't know what you're playing at, old man...**_" Riley looked at Ash with a wide smile, who was glaring at him. "_**But I'll be on my guard!**_"

"_**You'll see, Ash...**_" Riley winked at him. "_**You'll see...**_"

* * *

"And I would like to welcome the two Guardians of the Aura!" Koga's echoing voice was followed by a storm of applause in the great hall. Ash felt himself shrink in his seat as the people praised them, being an Aura Guardian actually MADE people look up to you! "Would any of you guardians like to say?"

Ash couldn't help but to feel absolute hatred towards Riley as he pushed the boy from his chair, making him face the great crowd.

"Ah, Sir Ash!" Koga nodded his liking, glad that the youngest of them would want to take the responsibility of giving an important speech in his hall, he seemed to appreciate the honor too!

"_**You've no idea how much I hate you right now...**_"

"_**Come on, the sooner the better, people are starting to stare.**_"

"_**Yes, master! Do your best!**_"

"_**Come on, PikaPi!**_"

"Well..." Ash cleared his throat and looked around the hall, there seemed to be at least 100 unknown people in there... "I'm not used to giving speeches..."

Everyone started to laugh at that statement, they had heard that line from the nobles countless number of times.

"No, seriously." Ash shook his head. "I was forced out here by Sir Riley and-"

His voice was drowned out once again from the crowds' laughter, causing Ash to sigh and get a determined look on his face.

"Death!" That one word from Ash's mouth got everyone's attention. "Death is everywhere in the world today! It thrives among us, it eats us from the inside!"

People around him started to nod, knowing what he was talking about.

"It's the duty of an Aura Guardian to stop it!" Ash continued, staring down the challenging looks from the crowd. "We've taken an oath to protect the innocent with our lives! But, who's to judge who's innocent? Is it right to take a man's life, even if he's trying to kill you? Even if he's a murderer?"

He let his words sink in... in other words, he quickly tried to make up anything else to talk about...

"I lost my family a long time ago..." Now he really gained the attention of the crowd. "They were murdered by bandits, only my pokemon and myself escaped them... And I would've been dead if it hadn't been for Sir Riley's timely rescue."

The people in the hall started to applaud the older Aura Guardian, who sent Ash a grateful look. But Ash wasn't done yet...

"But, does that make Sir Riley a savior, or a murderer?" The applause stopped immediately as they thought over those words. "He saved a young child's life, that's true... but he did so by taking another man's life! Is that right?"

"_**What the hell do you think you're doing?**_"

"_**Improvising! You're the one to blame for this!**_"

"What I'm trying to say is..." He took a deep breath, his hands were shaking but he kept them hidden under the table. "There's no such things as live heroes... the only heroes are those who sacrifices their lives to save someone they care for... in other words: All people who die for something good are the real heroes, not us who sit here! It's those who still believe that there's some good left in the world!"

With those words, the boy took a deep breath and sat himself down again, looking at Riley who seemed to be very proud of something.

"What?"

A clap was heard from the head of the table. Koga had stood up and started to clap slowly, then people also arose and clapped their hands. Soon, the whole hall was cheering and applauding for the young Aura Guardian, who felt his face heat up.

"_**Very good, Ash.**_"

"_**I'll never forgive you for this, Riley.**_"

The older Aura Guardian laughed as he messed up the hair of the younger boy, as Ash's hat was placed on the table.

"Let's eat!" Everyone cheered at Koga's shout as several plates were carried out.

Ash stood up, only to be forced down by Riley.

"No, Ash!" He whispered harshly to him. "You might have taken your own food at King Giovanni's place... but here's it considered rude and disrespectful to not want the lord of the house's servants serve you!"

"Should we really dine at the table of the master of poison?" Ash asked with his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Believe me, Ash." Riley smiled to him. "After that speech, nobody's going to dare hurt us tonight!"

"I believe you, Sir Riley." Ash smiled wide at the older man, who messed up his hair once again.

But, right after the older guardian had done that, he saw someone he hadn't seen in a while.

"Ash..." Riley whispered to him. "I'll be right back... stay here."

He quickly got up from his chair and walked unnoticed out from the hall very quickly.

"What? Hey! Wait-... oh, Ho-Oh dammit!" Ash cursed under his breath as he saw the chair next to him was now vacant... and that a certain girl with blue short hair had noticed it. "Please come back... please come back... shit..."

"Hi! Sir Ash!" Janine smiled big as she placed herself next to the boy, a little too close for Ash's comfort. "I heard your speech, it was awesome!"

"Thanks..." The young boy hesitated and looked away from the girl, trying to look busy with feeding the little rodent who sat on the table.

"You're a good swordsman!" It seemed like she refused to leave the boy alone, giving him no other choice than to face her again.

"Thank you." He nodded as he lifted his glass to her. "You're not so bad yourself."

"Thanks!" Her eyes seemed to glimmer when he said those words. "I always wanted to fight a real Aura Guardian but my father said how they were not good enough and..."

"_**How do I take this, Lucario?**_"

"_**You'll get used to it, master.**_"

"_**Did Riley ever get this kind of attention?**_"

"_**Yes, Ash, he actually did.**_" Ash looked towards Riley's Lucario for a moment. "_**He was actually in the same dilemma as you are now... in the same house too!**_"

"_**Really? What happened?**_"

"_**Well... let's just say that he wasn't that too 'alone' after that...**_"

Ash's face went pale as he imagined himself in Riley's position and Janine in the unknown person's...

* * *

Riley's gaze darted back and forth in the small, slightly darkened room. It was a bedroom, that he could see easily, he still suspected that his Aura might have been playing a trick on him... after all that time...

He then felt a pair of soft hands cover his eyes.

"What's this?" He heard a very soft, mature and feminine voice speak. "An Aura Guardian, who's not on his guard?"

"Aya..." Riley smiled as he looked into the blue eyes of the green haired beauty. "It's been too long..."

"Too long indeed..." She stated before she kissed Riley hard on the lips.

They had met several years ago, when Riley had finally become a real Aura Guardian, it was actually in the same hall where everyone else was dining that they had met. Their eyes had locked as soon as Riley had given his heartwarming speech, that Sir Aaron had made him do...

Unfortunately, Koga hadn't been too happy when he found out that Riley and Aya had became an 'item', so that's why he acted so cold against the older Aura Guardian as soon as he came for a visit... although he didn't know even half of the times Riley came to visit...

"How's he doing?" Riley suddenly asked, stopping Aya from pushing him onto the bed.

"'He'?" Aya smiled big. "Who says it's a 'he'?"

"Because the majority of the children of an Aura Guardian are boys." Riley stated with an even bigger smile as he looked at the slight bulge in Aya's stomach. "And, even if it isn't a 'he', its still our child."

"Yes." Aya got tears in her eyes as she nodded and then pushed him onto the bed and crawled over him. "Our child.."

"I love you..."

"I love you too."

* * *

"And then when daddy found out that I haven't been going to my lessons, I wasn't so curious about that tree and..."

"_**Hey, Lucario...**_"

"_**What, Ash?**_" The older aura-pokemon had to force himself not to laugh as he saw Ash's unfocused gaze on Janine, it seemed like he was about to fall asleep anytime...

"_**Something is wrong with Riley.**_" Ash stated with a worried look as it then passed on to the Lucario and then the rest of the pokemon. "_**I don't recognize his aura's emotion!**_"

"_**I feel it too, master.**_" The other Lucario nodded.

"_**Me too!**_" The little rodent thought as Ash had also sent him the message.

"_**Damn...**_" The aura-pokemon sighed as he looked at the boy with a look of pity. "_**My master never told you, did he?**_"

"_**Told me what?**_"

"_**Ash...**_" Lucario sighed. "_**Do you know where babies come from?**_"

* * *

"When will you come back?" Riley turned to the half-naked beauty who was laying in the bed, looking at him with eyes filled with love.

"You know what I do, darling." Riley smiled weakly. "There's never a certainty that I'll return."

"Don't talk like that!"

"But, if I don't return..." He walked up to her and looked her deep into her eyes. "Promise me that you'll never give up hope, promise me that you'll live on and raise our child."

"I... I..." She looked down in depression with the look Riley was giving her. "I promise that I'll raise our child if... you... don't return..."

"Don't worry, my love!" Riley tried to cheer her up a bit. "I'm not planning on leaving this life so soon!"

"Come back soon, Ry!" The old Aura Guardian blushed slightly at his nickname. "I might have a surprise for you then..."

"If the surprise is even better than the one last night, then count me in!" Riley laughed with his face a light shade of red

"_**You're such a perv, Riley!**_" The Aura Guardian froze at the sound of Ash's voice in his head.

"I must go now, I love you!" He quickly kissed her forehead and ran out of the door, only to find Ash and the rest of the pokemon waiting outside the door, all of them looking at him with tilted heads.

"What?" Riley hissed at them as soon as he had closed the door and were on their way out.

"Nothing, nothing at all..." Ash whistled innocently. "Ry..."

"Ugh!" Riley choked as Ash said those words, making all the other pokemon laugh.

* * *

"So... Ry." Ash smirked, as they were walking in the middle of the town. "What're you going to call the baby?"

"Actually..." Riley shot him an irritated look. "We're planning to call her Delia, if it's a girl."

"'Delia'..?" Ash stopped at the mention of his mother's name. "Why?"

"Because..." Riley sighed, they had finally left the big mansion. "My parents were also killed a long time ago, and Sir Aaron took care of me... I was with him when he met Delia for the first time, and they treated me with such love that only my life would be good enough to repay them with."

"I... didn't know..." Ash got a blank look on his face, although he was feeling slightly guilty. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry, Ash." Riley pushed down Ash's blue hat over the boy's eyes. "We have two choices if it's a boy."

"Really?" Ash asked with a raised eyebrow. "What're they?"

"Either we call him Aaron Riley Gen..." He looked at Ash with a kind look. "Or Ashton Riley Gen."

The young boy swallowed the lump in his throat that he felt when Riley spoke those words; it was a great honor to have a child named after you in times like this.

"Come on, Ash." Riley smiled at him. "Let's leave this town!"

"Got ya!" Ash laughed as they walked past the last dark-looking houses in the town. "... Ry!"

"Gah!"

* * *

The two Aura Guardians, and their pokemon, were walking along Route 14, a path with many rocky mountains and a body of water to the east side, several birds were flying over their heads as they were looking for a good place to camp.

"So..." Ash looked at the older man. "What happens now?"

Riley sighed, he had wanted to delay this for as long as possible, but now it seemed like he hadn't any other choice.

"Well, Ash..." He looked straight into his eyes, he was dead-serious. "It's very stupid for two Aura Guardians to travel together."

"Why?"

"Because the world's a big place, Ash." He shook his head, knowing how stupid it sounded in his own head. "What I'm trying to say is: Every region needs an Aura Guardian, and there's simply not many of us about!"

"When will we depart?" The boy seemed to have accepted that fact; he was looking towards Riley with a rather sad look. "How long?"

"We're not going to go our ways just yet." Riley shook his head once again, not even a slight smile on it. "I would suggest that we travel to the Kanto royals' castle, meet the royal family one more time... together."

"That sounds good." Ash nodded with a calm smile on his face, the sun was about to set over the mountain. "I would say that we should rest here for the night, I'm not that fond of climbing mountains in the dark..."

"I agree..." Riley laughed a bit and looked towards the horizon, the sun had now gone down. "Happy birthday, Ash."

"Really?"

The man nodded at the, now 14 year old boy, and then started to laugh. Soon, the pokemon and the boy had joined in with his laughter and the noise was so loud that they scared away several Pidgyes.

* * *

The sun was about to rise over the mountains once again, several hours had passed and the Pidgeots were singing their morning-tune. A wonderful time for every man, woman, child or pokemon, all except for one...

His light green eyes were scanning the surroundings and his worthless companions, the untamed blue hair with a hint of gray in it was blowing wildly in the morning breeze, although some of it were tucked back in his black and red cloak, covering most his whole body.

At his side stood his partner, a pokemon of whom many people had heard of and feared, a pokemon that was told to be so strong that not even the legendary Sir Aaron would've stood a chance against it. Although the middle-aged man knew that the claims were rubbish, it was just a pokemon who served under him, the pokemon was not stronger than him...

"Can you feel them?" The dark man simply asked his black, shadow-like pokemon, who was hovering next to him.

"Dark..." The pokemon nodded with a grunt, the man didn't waste time communicating with his pokemon any further, it was such waste of his powerful aura.

"Good..."

"Master Takuto...?" A very hesitant voice called out.

The voice belonged to a rather pretty woman, although she was not as beautiful as those girls in the fairy tales, but she did her part. She had long blond hair, but she wore the face of a killer, the same kind of person who would enjoy torturing her victims before she finished them off... but now Cassidy stood there with a frightened expression, afraid of her master.

"What is it?" The harsh tone sent fierce shivers down her spine.

"A- are you sure that... we can take care of t-two Aura Guardians...?" She hesitated once again and nervously fingered her throwing knifes, which were strapped to her waist.

"Yes."

"She has a point, master." Came the voice of an even more annoying subordinate, Butch. Who had glossy brown hair and green eyes, he was even more of a coward than Cassidy was. He carried around a spiked war hammer on his back. "They're Aura Guardians and-"

"And WHAT?" He didn't raise his voice, but it was still painful for the grunts' ears to hear his dark and powerful voice. "The Dark Aura don't fear the Aura Guardians, even two worthless peasants such as you should know that."

"Of course, master!" They said simultaneously.

"Do you know the plan?"

"Yes, master!"

"Good..." The sun shone so the shadow of his hair started to cover his face... "Let's begin..."

* * *

"Come on, Ash!" Riley sighed as he shook the boy once again. "Time to wake up!"

"I'm up...!" Ash groaned as he rubbed his eyes, the sword on his back had been a real pain in the back to sleep on... literally.

"It will take two days for us to get to the castle on foot." Riley tried to cheer him up. "Come on, that's no way of an Aura Guardian to behave!"

"Whatever happened to those damsels in distress the books promised me...?" Ash muttered as he splashed his face with some water from his canteen.

"Oh, just wait, Ash." Riley smiled as he finished his meal. "Can you smell that, Ash?"

"Smell what?"

"The morning!"

"You're crazy, Riley."

"Crazy?" The man seemed hurt. "I'm just enjoying nature!"

"Sure..." Ash yawned, although he soon felt something that woke him up instantly. "Hey... Riley, something feels wrong."

"No..." Riley muttered to himself, he felt it too. "Not so soon..."

"What, Riley?" Ash demanded to know, as he and the pokemon were on the alert. "What's wrong!"

"Dark Auras!" Riley shouted as he drew his sword and looked around.

Ash took his cue and pulled out the long-sword that was strapped to his back, looking in the opposite direction. The two Lucarios quickly stood at their masters' sides and Pikachu jumped up onto Ash's shoulder, sparking dangerously.

"Watch the forest!" Riley warned him, his heartbeat increasing. "Be ready!"

Ash tensed himself for an attack... but it never came, instead they could see a dark figure walk out from the edge of the forest, alone.

"Who are you!" Riley demanded to know as he relaxed his muscles for an attack. "State your purpose here!"

"I'm Takuto." The man answered calmly while he looked at the two Aura Guardians with an unreadable expression. "And I'm here for more power."

"'More power'?"

"Yes..." Ash had never seen such an evil his smile in his life. "The power of your Auras!"

Then, Ash felt some sort of jolt go through his body, a jolt that seemed to talk to him, a jolt that ordered him to throw himself to the side, and he did.

The dark rings missed the young Aura Guardian by inches, almost killing him.

Riley quickly turned around to face the Darkrai. Riley felt fear grow in him... not fear for his own life, but for the young boy's life and the pokemon... this just wasn't right!

"Ash..." Riley almost whispered to the boy, who glanced at him. "Take the pokemon and go... I'll handle this."

"Riley, no-"

"Do as I say!" He snapped at him and held his sword with both hands, facing the Dark Aura. "Your time hasn't come yet! Don't worry, I can deal with him."

"But I-"

"Ash, if we never meet again..." He looked at the boy, feeling tears build up in his eyes. "Please, tell Aya that I love her... and live your life to the fullest!"

"I-"

"Lucario..." He now turned to his pokemon, who also had tears in his eyes. "I order you to go with Ash, teach him the last things about life that I haven't!"

"_**No, master.**_" Lucario shook his head. "_**I'll not leave you, I'll fight at your side!**_"

"I can't talk you out of it, can I?" Riley smiled through the danger, which Lucario responded with a smile of his own. "So be it... but, Ash, I order you to run!"

Ash looked at his pokemon, Pikachu seemed to agree with Riley, while his Lucario still hesitated. He could help! He could help Riley defeat that Dark Aura... if he only-

"GO!"

Ash did as he was told and ran towards the side of the field, followed by his two pokemon. Riley watched him as he continued to run into the forest, until he was but a speck in the distance. He then turned his attention towards Takuto, who seemed to be smirking.

"You think you saved the child?" Riley growled at the tone of his voice, he seemed to be mocking him. "I can tell you right away... he's going to die, just like you!"

"Maybe we will die..." Riley's head hung low, as did Lucario's. "But..." He raised his head. "If we should die this day, we'll die for what we believe in! We'll die for hope! For freedom! For the AURA!"

With those words, the Aura Guardian and pokemon charged towards the man in front of them, taking him by surprise.

* * *

"We can't leave him!" Ash seemed to suddenly change his mind and was about to run back, only to be restrained by his two pokemon. "Let me go!"

"_**No, master!**_" Lucario shouted at him, also equally sad. "_**It could be his last wish... we can't break it!**_"

"But I-"

"Well, well..." The trio's heads snapped up at the cold voice. "What do we have here...?"

"Who are you?" Ash growled and pointed his long sword towards them, his pokemon taking fighting-stances.

"We're the ones who're going to kill you..." The woman with blond hair smirked as she drew a knife in each hand.

"That's right, we're training to become Dark Auras!" The man with brown hair lied, Ash could easily see that. They had not one inch of Aura in them... they were simple plunderers who wanted to be as close to great power as possible... "Surrender!"

"Or what?" Ash growled and swung the large sword over his head, clearly intimidating them a little.

"Or else... we'll kill you." The man laughed as he took forth two short-swords, looking at the boy. "I hope you're ready for pain!"

"After you!" Ash shouted as he threw an Aura Sphere towards them, taking them by surprise.

Butch, who was the closest to Ash, quickly threw himself away from the line of fire. But Cassidy, who wasn't that lucky, screamed in pain and terror as the blue sphere hit her, sending her to the afterlife...

Ash looked with an empty look where the female had once stood, now only a scorch mark was left, such power... he had taken a person's life... and he didn't feel too good about it. But, it was either them or him, he had to keep himself alive!

"You little-" Butch was halted in his sentence as the boy's pokemon let out war-cries and charged the man with different parts of their bodies glowing, causing him to brace for their assault.

* * *

"_**Lucario, behind us!**_" Riley shouted as he blocked another blow from the Dark Aura, who was wielding a giant two-handed axe, showing off amazing strength as he handled the weapon with ease. "_**Stop him!**_"

"_**Alright, master!**_" Lucario cried out as he used his own body to take the attack, much to Riley's fear.

"Lucario!" He yelled out which caused the Dark Aura to smile.

"Can you feel it, Aura Guardian?" The man asked as he looked at the angry Riley, who was looking at the whimpering pokemon. "Can you feel... death?"

"The only one who's going to feel it... is YOU!" Riley kicked the man in the stomach, making him gasp for air. He then raised his sword, ready to attack, only to feel a terrible pain in the back.

"GAH!" Riley cried out as he got down on his knees, his back smoking from the surprise-attack the dark pokemon had launched...

The Dark Aura laughed as he saw the Aura Guardia's pathetic attempt at crawling to his pokemon, who was lying on the ground, panting heavily.

"Lucario..." He whispered to him. "It's okay..."

"_**Master...**_" Even through the aura, he could hear the pain. "_**I'm sorry... I failed...**_"

"_**No, Lucario...**_" Riley shook his head, feeling the pain increase. "_**No... we did our part... Ash is safe... the son of Sir Aaron is saved.**_"

"_**Master...**_" Lucario could feel his heart filled with new spirit. "_**I... I think I'm ready... for one last attack...**_"

"_**Me too, Lucario...**_" Riley smiled, as he sniffled a bit, he had started to sob. "_**Let's do it, Lucario... let's do it one last time, one more time for the Aura...**_"

"_**I agree, master...**_"

"_**Please, Lucario...**_" Lucario turned his head, as he was lying on the ground, towards his master. "_**Can you please... call me by my real name, like we used to before we became Aura-users...?**_"

The aura-pokemon nodded, proud to die at the side of such a great man.

"That's it?" The disappointment was clear in Takuto's voice. "That's all an Aura Guardian can do...?"

The two friends didn't answer him, they only lay there, looking at each other with smiles on their faces.

Takuto shook his head, he hoped Butch and Cassidy had spared the child, maybe he could have a real opponent to fight against...

"This isn't over, you know?" Riley's attention was brought back to Takuto once again. "You might think that the boy's saved... even if he did escape those idiots... Darkrai will find him in a minute and take me to him! You only bought the boy a few hours!"

"_**Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Lucario...?**_" Riley asked with a sad smiled, the tears began well up in his eyes.

"_**Yes, I do... Riley.**_" The moisture from Lucario's eyes wet the ground they fell on. "_**It's been... an honor.**_"

"_**The honor was all mine... my friend.**_" Riley smiled at him, he felt his hand grip his sword, the dark wound would take him away from this life any minute now... "_**I'm proud to die with you, my companion...**_"

"What is this? You're not even trying to fight back!" The Dark Aura shouted as he, and his pokemon, appeared in front of them. "You're a shame of the aura!"

"_**NOW!**_"

Both Riley and Lucario roared as they got up. Two blue orbs were glowing in Lucario's and Riley's hands, they both smashed them into their opponent's pokemon. They smiled as they heard him roar in anger and before the orbs exploded, taking both Darkrai and Lucario with it... Riley didn't die though, he was too far away, he only flew away a couple of meters before he crashed into the ground. But he knew that it was only a matter of seconds before his life would run out. He smiled big as he heard the terrified and angered shout from the Dark Aura... he had done his duty...

"_**Ash...**_" He could feel the boy hear him as he spoke. "_**... Run, Ash... it's over...**_"

Riley rolled over onto his back and looked up the sky, it seemed incredibly blue right now... he wasn't feeling hungry anymore, the pain had gone away... he only felt hope, hope of going to a better place, hope of meeting those he cherished and loved... his only regret was that he would never be able to see his kid grow up...

"_Aya..._" Riley closed his eyes...

**End of chapter 4**

**

* * *

**

**You're pretty angry at me for killing him, aren't you? :/ I didn't want to do it either (since he's one of my favorites in this story). But, as I said before: Death is a common thing during those times, it can strike when you least expects it...**

**Quiz Time: It's kinda the same question... I used a dialog from a VERY famous movie, but try and change "Aura Guardian" to "Ranger" instead (maybe too easy now? :P) What is it?**

**It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

**R&R!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello there! I hope you've been curious on this chapter! Alright, maybe not that much. **

**Anyway, to the right answer on the quiz in the previous chapter: It was from the movie "Lord of the Rings"! You know, when Arwen is introduced for the first time and holds a knife/sword against Aragorn's throat and say: "What's this? A ranger, who's not on his guard?"**

**Good job to those who managed to guess the correct answer!**

**Let's keep it short, will we?  
I hope you'll enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!  
**

* * *

"_**... Run, Ash... it's over...**_" The words struck Ash like a sword as he heard them, he couldn't believe them... he refused to believe them!

It seemed like Lucario had picked up on the same words, since he looked at Ash with a very sad look. And Pikachu didn't need to hear it, he saw it from the look of Ash's face... cooing sadly for the loss of the great man.

"No..." Ash shook his head. "It's not possible... it's not true!"

"_**Master...**_" Lucario sighed. "_**This was his last wish, the Dark Aura's still alive... we need to keep moving!**_"

"NO!"

"_**Listen to me!**_" Lucario snapped, his face growing red. "_**Sir Riley's death is a real loss for humanity, but we can't lose hope! It's the code of the Aura Guardians to never lose hope! To never surrender! To live with honor!**_"

"The code of the Aura Guardians..." Ash muttered under his breath. He wanted to release his frustrations on somebody... but he couldn't.

They walked over the dead body of Butch, the man who had been easily killed by the joined forces of Pikachu and Lucario.

Ash started to walk slowly, he then walked a little faster, he then started to jog, and then ran... the running then changed to a sprint... he wanted to end all of this, he wanted to take out his frustration on something... and that's what he did, he ran, he ran out his anger, he ran on his sorrow, he ran on his pain, he ran on every single emotion he ever felt... he ran because of the Aura...

The young Aura Guardian didn't know where he was going; he only ran in the direction his heart wanted him to run, the way his aura wanted him to run.

Lucario and Pikachu also ran, they followed their friend and master, and would continue to do so as long as he stuck to the right path... and maybe even after that...

* * *

They ran past a wasteland that nobody had ever traveled before, they outran the dangerous pokemon along the way, they outran the murderous plunderers that had their camps there... they ran through Route 11, they pass the Diglett-cave, they ran all the way until they came to the great walls of Saffron City...

There they rested, they didn't enter the city just yet, they rested unnoticed by its walls. Neither Ash nor the pokemon wanted to enter in the state that they were in now, the backpack on Ash's shoulders felt heavy, he had somehow picked up his pack when he fled, however Riley's equipment was still on the deceased Aura Guardian's body...

"I will return, Riley..." Ash whispered to himself as he looked at the gloves he had gotten the evening before the attack. "I promise..."

The gloves were blue, and had the same colors lining as his hat. There were some kind of half orbs on the top of them too, looking like small Aura Spheres... Riley had told him that this was the main reason they had stopped at Koga's place... the master of poison had guarded the gloves that had belonged to his father, it was said that they would improve the Aura powers a person had... only if it had the same powers as the crystal on them.

Ash tried them on, but he took them off as soon as he saw that his hands were still too small to fit in the gloves, they were for a grown man's hands...

"Pika, pikachu, PikaPi?" The little rodent asked carefully, Lucario had started to meditate and seemed to be in a semiconscious state.

"Go and sleep, Pikachu." Ash smiled sadly at the rodent. "Tomorrow we'll enter the city, and we need our rest."

The little rodent nodded and curled up against Ash, where it immediately fell asleep.

"_Riley..._" Ash thought as he looked up towards the darkening sky. "_Your death will not be in vain... I'll protect those who need to be protected, and defend the weak!_"

* * *

The guard whistled half-heartedly as he and his friends guarded the castle's gate, this was one of the most boring jobs that he could imagine! There was no honor or glory in guarding a damn door... it was the worst job a soldier could have!

"Hey... what's that?" The other guard, who was slightly taller than him, pointed towards the market, it seemed like people had rallied around something, or someone.

The guards lowered their spears as they saw a young man and his pokemon began to walk up the stairs of the castle towards the door. They looked into his cold eyes and shivered, whatever had happened to that boy... they didn't want to know about it.

"Halt!" The guard's friend finally managed to say. "State your affairs here!"

"What authorization do you think you possess to deny a Guardian of the Aura entry?" Ash growled as his hand slowly moved up towards the hilt on his sword.

The two guards' eyes widened as they eyed him a little more... he was actually wearing the uniform of an Aura Guardian!

"How do we know that you're a real Aura Guardian, sir?"

The boy just growled and summoned a crystal blue Aura Sphere, he then threw it away high into the air... the guards couldn't even see where the sphere landed, but they were now convinced.

"You may pass, sir." The guards saluted and let the boy walk into the castle, ignoring the irritated voice the boy used as he passed them.

"_**Was that really necessary, master?**_" Lucario asked with a slight glare at him. "_**I didn't like to be questioned either... but they were only guards!**_"

"It wasn't necessary..." Ash sighed. "I only wanted to see if the world I used to live in still existed, the world that was so carefree..."

"_**And... what's your conclusion, master?**_"

"That it ended a long time ago..." Ash took a deep breath, causing the little yellow rodent to rub its cheek against the boy's with a silent cooing sound.

Ash thought back on the times when he had been here... it had been so different, he knew he looked like a completely different person, some would even say that he was almost looked like a fully grown man.

"Chu! Pikachu pi-pi chu!" The rodent declared with a slight smile, trying to cheer Ash up.

"No, Pikachu." Ash shook his head. "We're not kids anymore... we need to treat others with respect from now on, it's time we take on our responsibility... that's what Riley would've wanted."

"_**I'm proud of you, master.**_" Lucario smiled truthfully, it was indeed a sight Sir Riley would've wanted to see.

The castle looked exactly the same... same colors, same walls, same paintings... same forsaken smell of a prison, at least according to Ash anyway.

They had finally come to the throne-room, the room which was Giovanni's favorite room to think of issues as well as to meet with others... Ash would guess that he spent most of his days in there.

The young Aura Guardian looked at the guards of the door with a stern look, who quickly stepped aside and allowed Ash to enter.

* * *

The old man sat on his throne, sighing once again. He was almost 58 years old, a long lifetime for any man... but his age didn't bother him, he knew he would leave a proud and mighty kingdom to his descendants...

The thing that bothered him was a more... international issue...

He looked at his almost as old, yet still beautiful and wise queen. She was looking back at him with a knowing look, she had also been troubled by the same thought that he was having.

"Know any solutions to our dilemma yet, my dear?" King Giovanni asked his wife Agatha with a tired look, she shook her head.

"No, Gio." Agatha smiled at him, troubled. "For once in a long time, I've no idea..."

"I guess we can only-"

The king's words were interrupted when he saw the door open.

The king and queen watched as the young man, who was almost as tall as Giovanni, walked into the throne room. He was dressed in the blue clothes of an Aura Guardian and had a Lucario and Pikachu at his side.

"What gives me the honor of meeting a Guardian of the Aura?" The king asked politely, it was a must to respect Aura Guardians in these troubled times.

"My king..." The young man knelt before him, followed by his pokemon. "I'm afraid I have grave news to tell you..."

"It is grave times, Guardian of the Aura." Giovanni nodded sadly. "Now, tell me, what's the news?"

"Sir Riley Gen, a powerful Aura Guardian..." It seemed like the young man had forced the last words out of his mouth. "Was... killed, by a Dark Aura, along with his faithful partner..."

"Chuu..." The little rodent cooed sadly.

The hall fell silent. Even if Giovanni and Riley didn't always get along, the king would still consider him as a friend.

"That's..." The king took a deep breath. "That's... grave news indeed..."

"And Ash Ketchum, the boy who was with him?" Agatha asked, the death of Riley was still shocking. "What happened to him?"

"Agatha!" King Giovanni glared at her, rather irritated for interrupting him. He then directed his gaze towards the Aura Guardian. "Tell me, what's your name?"

"My name is Sir Ash Aaron Ketchum, Guardian of the Aura, my king." Ash bowed a little deeper when he said that, still kneeling. "I'll fulfill my oath as an Aura Guardian and give mine and my pokemons' assistance to your house. We'll protect the region of Kanto with our lives!"

The king almost fell down from his chair when he heard that, he couldn't believe it...

The queen, on the other hand, quickly walked up to the young man and embraced him motherly, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Poor child..." She stroked his hair, after taking off his the hat. "My poor child... what cruelty has the world been laying on you...?"

"Get me Captain Lance..." Giovanni looked at his guard. "Now!"

The Guard saluted and ran through the door, shouting.

Only a matter of seconds passed when the captain ran into the hall, looking very confused.

"What is it, my liege?" He asked while he tried to attach his sword-sheath to his belt. "What's wrong?"

The king didn't answer, he only made a motion towards the young man, who had broken free from the queen's hug and was standing there, looking at him.

"Ash!" Lance smiled as he saw the new Aura Guardian and walked towards him and shook his hand. "It's a pleasure seeing you again!"

He then looked around the hall again, only seeing one Lucario and Pikachu.

"Tell me..." The captain looked at the Aura Guardian. "Where's Sir Riley? Didn't he come with you?"

"He and his partner were murdered." Ash declared with a dark look in his eyes. "Dark Aura..."

"No..." Lance shook his head, he didn't believe it for one second. "That's not true... he's not dead... you're mistaken!"

"Captain!" Lance subconsciously looked towards the king. "Go and get some rest, Sir Ash will take you to the spot tomorrow... get a small group of soldiers ready to march at dawn."

"Y- Yes, sir." Lance nodded, still stunned by the news.

The Captain of Kanto's armies walked out of the hall, walking very slowly as his mind was still trying to process the news.

Ash followed him with his eyes, he watched as the door was closed and then turned his eyes towards the queen. Agatha still looked at him with pity and sadness in her eyes, but Ash felt that it wasn't only Riley's death that had made her sad... He then looked at the powerful king, who had a troubled look in his eyes.

"Ashton..." He watched him carefully. "How do you feel? Do you need to rest? Anything to eat?"

"No, my king... thank you." Ash bowed deeply, he then sent him a rather sharp look. "And my name is Sir Ash, or Ketchum, if you wouldn't mind, sir?"

"Yes, yes..." Giovanni grumbled to himself. "Of course..."

Agatha sent him a sad smile, she then walked up to him.

"I'm going to tell the people of Kanto what has happened... and that we have a new Aura Guardian with us..." She hugged the young man quickly. "You've really grown... Sir Ash."

"Thank you, my lady." Ash closed his eyes and sent her a deep nod, along with the rodent and aura-pokemon.

She walked out and left the king of Kanto and the Aura Guardian in the room, alone. An awkward silence settled around the hall...

"Something troubling you, my king?" The Aura Guardian asked after a moment, snapping the King out of his thoughts.

"What? Oh..." He scanned the boy quickly, looking for any sign that he was mocking him... but he didn't find any. "Well... we've a problem."

"What kind of problem, my liege?"

"Regional problems..." The king muttered and looked at the boy and his pokemon, his arm resting on the throne. "We have a big problem with the Hoenn region."

"A problem that can be solved by the sword?" Ash raised his eyebrow and Pikachu sparked his cheeks, Lucario only crossed his arms and had a hardened look on its face.

"N... No, Sir Ash." Giovanni was taken aback by slight surprise of the boy's statement, he had truly became a fearsome warrior... "They're demanding an apology from us."

"Why not give them one then, sir?" Ash asked with a slight frown, still rather disappointed for not getting to fight... he actually longed to fight someone with a sword again...

"Because..." Now the king sighed deeply. "Because they want an apology from the princess of Kanto herself..."

"Why?" Ash's sudden outburst took the king by surprise once again. "Why does the princess need to give that barbaric kingdom an apology?... my king."

The old king only smiled sadly towards the boy.

"Sir Ash..." He was still not used to saying that. "You seem to have grown a lot... both in mind and strength... but I see that you still don't know much about a royal family's pride..."

"My king?"

"She made a fool out of the prince of Hoenn, my boy." Giovanni sighed, he took now Ash by surprise because of what the king called him. "The people of Hoenn are a very proud people... we're actually lucky that they didn't attack us instead of saying that an apology from our princess would be enough."

"Why doesn't she do it then?" Ash wanted to know as Pikachu had gotten bored by standing at attention and pranced around the hall. "Thousands of lives are at stake if a war breaks loose!"

"You've really grown..." Giovanni smiled happily at the boy, who only looked at him in confusion. "That's true, but I doubt she realizes it... and..."

"And what, my liege?" The Aura Guardian now had a deep frown over his face, he didn't like the tone in his voice.

"Then King Archie demanded that..." Giovanni went red with anger as he recalled the incident. "He DEMANDED... that MY ONLY DAUGHER should be MARRIED with his little PUNK!"

"I see..." Ash sweat-dropped at the king's outburst. "My liege."

Giovanni seemed to have just realized what he had been doing, and quickly cleared his throat and got up from the throne and hurried out of the hall.

"It's good to have you back... Sir Ash." He said to the young man, who was in a kneeling position, before he left the hall and closed the door with a with a loud bang.

"_**Master...**_" Ash's head shot up as he looked at his pokemon. "_**What's wrong, you seem so... different.**_"

"_**Riley wouldn't want us to be weighed down by his death...**_" Ash sighed and looked up towards the ceiling. "_**Even if it hurts a great deal... I need to become an example for others, I'm not going to let the Dark Auras win!**_"

"_**I'm proud of you... master.**_" Lucario smiled with a big grin and looked at the rodent, who was also smiling. "_**Sir Riley would also be proud!**_"

Before Ash could answer him, he heard a voice in the distance.

"... I don't care if it's against the law! I'm going in there and-"

The door crashed open and showed an aged man with a bewildered look, with gray specks in his hair.

"Ash!" Mikael, the old cook and former soldier, cried out as he ran up to him and embraced him. "I knew you would make it!"

"Thanks... Mikael." Ash actually blushed a bit, since several guards had stormed into the room with weapons drawn.

"Alright, cook." One guard growled and put a hand on the old man's shoulder. "That's the last straw... you're going to the dungeons!"

"I order you to let him go, soldier!" The Aura Guardian barked at the guard, making him let go of Mikael's shoulder.

"Sorry, sir!" The guard saluted.

"That's alright." Ash lowered his head and glared at the person. "All charges against this man will be dropped... dismissed!"

"Yes, sir!" The guards shouted in tandem and quickly vacated the hall, leaving the pokemon, Ash and Mikael, who had a surprised face, alone.

"Well..." Mikael looked at him with an impressed look. "I must say... you're really growing into this Aura Guardian-role."

"Thank you." Ash smiled. He couldn't explain why he didn't want this old man to call him by his title. "How've things been at the castle?"

"Boring..." The old cook muttered as his eyes darted back and forth in the hall. "Listen... I must go now, it's great to have you back and all, but I really have to go!"

"Don't worry." Ash laughed, the cook seemed so distressed all of a sudden. "I understand."

"Thank you... sir..." Mikael smirked at him before he prepared about to run out from the hall and back to his duties.

"Hold on!" The tone of Ash's voice made him stop dead in his track and turns around, it was the tone of a commander in battle... "Don't you know about Riley?"

"I do..." Mikael got a sad look as he remembered the Aura Guardian, even if he had only met him briefly. "And I thought that you'd be tired of hearing all those things again, you already know what a great man he was, nobody needs to say it once again."

"Thank you..." The young Aura Guardian smiled under his hat as he had lowered his head. "Now... back to your duties!"

"Yes, sir!" Mikael laughed and ran out of the door, earning glares from the guards who were standing by it.

"Pika!" The little rodent cried out as he jumped onto the young man's shoulder, nuzzling his cheek.

"That's good, buddy." Ash chuckled a bit to himself as he looked around. "I think we'll be staying here for a few days... then we'll move on."

"_**Where to, master?**_"

"_**I don't know, Lucario...**_" The boy pondered it for a second, not noticing the door behind him opening. "_**We'll probably head towards the Johto region and then-**_"

"You're back!" The force he felt crashing into his back was so great that it knocked him down on the floor, stunning him for a second. "You came back!"

"Come on, sis!" He heard a male voice breaking through the female's squeals. "Let him breath!"

The Aura Guardian could feel the feminine hands, which had been around his stomach, let go of him so he could get up.

"Sir Richard, Lady Leafiona." Ash knelt quickly in front of the royal siblings. "What can I do for you?"

"You're... kidding, right... Ash...?" Ritchie asked with a hesitant voice as he saw the kneeling boy dressed in blue. "Don't you remember...? Friends...?"

"An Aura Guardian has to show respect and obedience towards the noble families of the regions." Ash was still kneeling, now followed by Pikachu and Lucario.

"Great..." Ritchie huffed with arms crossed. "Talk to me again when you've returned to your senses!"

Ash could feel the prince's aura leave the room, only leaving him and Leafiona there.

"So..." The very beautiful, yet crazy, girl in front of him hesitated. "You're here to obey the royal family of Kanto...?"

"That's right, my lady." Ash nodded, still kneeling.

Leaf got a red face as she leaned towards the boy and whispered something in his ear.

The Aura Guardian tried to hold a serious look his face... but, after a few seconds you could see his eyes slowly widen and his face go pale.

"Ritchie!" He quickly got up from his kneeling position and started to run. "Wait for me!"

"PikaPi!" The little rodent cried out and quickly followed his friend, along with Lucario.

"Hey! Come back here!" Leaf stomped stubbornly on the ground. "You need to obey your princess!"

* * *

Ash, Lucario and Pikachu were busy with barricading the door to Ritchie's room, as the prince sat on his bed and watched them work.

When they were satisfied they turned to him, all looking exhausted.

"She's still like that...?"

"Yep." Richard nodded with a smile.

"Damn..."

"Yeah..."

"It's good to see you, Ritchie." Ash smiled big as he embraced his long-time friend.

"Same here, Ash!" The prince laughed and patted him on the back, while Pikachu and Sparky were greeting each other with their tales.

"So..."

"Yeah..." They had been from each other for a long time, it felt like they barely knew the other now...

"I see you've become an Aura Guardian."

"Yes." Ash nodded with a slight smirk appearing on his face. "And I see that you've been rejected by the princess of Sinnoh!"

But, to Ash's big confusion, the prince only sighed and fell back down onto the bed.

"That name..." Ash titled his head, along with the pokemon. "That's the name of the angels!"

"Alright..." Ash's hesitant voice seemed to get through to Ritchie. "She was that great, huh?"

"Words are not enough to describe her." Richie shook his head. "She was the most beautiful being I've ever seen!"

"Sure, whatever you say." Ash's head was still tilted as he watched the day-dreaming prince. "Why didn't you stay there then?"

"Her Piplup made it very clear to me that she didn't want me there..." Richie muttered, a dark look coming over his face.

"Piplup?"

"That's a Sinnoh pokemon."Richie hesitated. "They're really strong there, Ash... I would be careful if you ever decided to travel there."

"The stronger, the better." Ash smirked and patted the hilt of his sword, which was still on his back.

"You've..." Richie looked at the sword with big eyes. "You know... used it...?"

"Yes." The Aura Guardian responded shortly with a grim look on his face. "I've used it..."

"How did it feel... to take a life?"

"Not good." Ash shook his head with a long sigh. "But it was either them, or us... we fought for our survival, nothing else."

"I see..." Richie nodded, still amazed by the sword. "Can I see it?"

"Eeh..." Ash noticed Lucario's quick glance and shook his head. "I... don't think so... a prince shouldn't carry such sword..."

"But I-"

"I'm serious, sire." Ash looked sternly at the slight shorter boy. "You don't want to go down that path, it's not a nice one."

"Alright, Ash." Richie sighed, then shot him an annoyed look as he heard the Aura Guardian clear his throat. "Alright, alright... SIR Ash."

"That's better." Ash nodded with a satisfied smile, glancing at his pokemon. "You wouldn't know when it's time to eat do you? We haven't eaten anything in a long time..."

"Really?" Richie asked with a frown. "When did you last eat?"

"Thursday evening." Ash stated happily, fond of the last memory with Riley-

"That's two days ago!" Richie cried out, causing the rodents to clasp their paws over their ears.

"Yeah..." The trainer chuckled a bit to himself. "We've been... busy..." The chuckle turned into a look of depression.

"Come on." Richie smiled and started to remove the barricades from the door. "We'll find you something to eat!"

* * *

They had stayed at the castle for a few weeks now, and Ash was starting to plan out his next destination, one big reason for it was because of his hiding places, for a girl who seemed to want to abuse her power as a princess, had started to run out...

But, the main reason for Ash wanting to leave was that... even though he would always love his friends there... they still didn't seem like his old friends... time hadn't changed only him, it had also changed them. He and Richie had started to talk lesser and lesser, almost getting into arguments about things that not even an old couple would argue about. Agatha seemed to act like Ash didn't exist anymore, probably for his rejections of her daughter...

The only one of the family that Ash had started to like more was actually the old king, Giovanni. And the king seemed to think the same. Ash, Lance and Giovanni spent many nights together around the table, talking about the relationship between the regions and how to best do warfare against them, even Mikael joined them from time to time...

It seemed pretty clear that Ash was about to slide away from the humans in his own age in the castle, that's why the news of his departure only made Giovanni and Leafiona sad when he brought the news to the family.

But they accepted it, they knew that keeping an Aura Guardian inside a castle was almost as impossible as keeping Leafiona away from Ash... it was not going to happen in other words.

So, there the young man stood, in his Aura Guardian uniform and the pokemon at his side, a big rucksack on his back.

He looked at Lance... Lance, the one who had taken the death of Riley as hard as Ash had. The day after Ash had appeared in the castle, Lance and him had flew on his Dragonite towards the place where Riley's body still rested. There the Aura Guardian and Captain used their own hands to bury the great man and his pokemon, and then put up a hand hewn memorial stone for them.

They only wrote: "_Riley Gen, a true Guardian of the Aura_" on it as neither of them knew what else to write.

Ash looked at Mikael, who had started to cry once again, clearly not wanting to part with the boy.

The young Aura Guardian had never looked up Aya, he didn't dare to do it... mostly afraid of her reaction to the news... but he swore to himself that he would do it, someday...

"It was nice seeing you again." Ash spoke slowly as he looked at those who were there to say goodbye to him. "I'm certain that I'll meet you again!"

"Yeah..." Lance smiled sadly as he sniffed a little, clearly forcing himself not to cry. "I'll miss you."

"Come back soon, kid!" Mikael cried even louder, even using Lance's mantle as a handkerchief...

"I'm going to miss you, Sir Ash." Giovanni sighed heavily, then looked at the boy with a frown. "Are you sure that you don't want me to tell Leafiona that you're leaving?"

"I would actually prefer that you didn't..." Ash sweat-dropped at the thought of the outcome if Giovanni had alerted the girl. "I've already said goodbye to her..."

"Really?" Giovanni's frown deepened. "Did she take it well?"

"He actually kissed her and said 'good bye' when she was too stunned to take it in, my lord." Mikael sniffled as he now used a new patch of Lance's mantle to dry his eyes with.

"Thank you... Mikael..." Ash growled as he saw the king's half-amused and half-maddened look.

"I'll miss you, Ash." Giovanni said once again. "Travel safe."

"You too, my king." Ash bowed and the accepted the hand Giovanni extended to him. "I'll return."

"Liar..." The king chuckled and put a hand on the boy's shoulder, he then turned around and walked back into the castle.

"I'm going to walk you to the gate, Ash." Lance smiled sadly once again.

"Yeah, me too!" Mikael nodded eagerly and placed himself at the side of the Aura Guardian. "And, on the way there, I'll explain to you the right way to treat a woman!"

"Oh, brother..." Ash groaned to himself as the three humans and two pokemon started to walk towards the castle's gate...

* * *

A hate, the likes that nobody had ever seen before was radiating from a man with blue hair and lime-green eyes, who was looking really twisted and evil... He looked at the bodies that had fallen victim to his bloody axe...

"_You might have escaped that time... Ash Ketchum..._" Takuto thought with a growl as the red aura radiated out of him. "_But not this time..._"

It looked like he was flying over the wall, quickly defeating the guards that were stationed there... he then directed his gaze towards the castle. "_But first... I'm going to finish my assignment..._"

He then started to sprint stealthily towards the castle with intentions in mind that only he and a few others knew about...

* * *

"Hello?" King Giovanni sighed as he walked into the royal hall, where his family was awaiting him. "Missed me?"

"Where were you at, father?" Richard asked with a polite tone, a tone that according to Giovanni seemed to be missing a lot of life...

"I was saying goodbye to Sir Ash." The king explained slowly, looking rather nervously in Leafiona's direction. "He left a few minutes ago..."

"WHAT?" A high pitched shriek was heard when he spoke those words. "But we were going to get married!"

"Did he say that?" Giovanni asked with a deep frown, it seemed like he had misjudged the boy...

"No, but I know that he loves me!"

"Of course he does, sweetie!" Agatha smiled as she comforted her daughter with a hug. "But he's gone his own way now, a path that you can't follow."

"We'll see about that!" Leafiona cried out as she sprinted towards the door... which quickly closed in front of her. "What?"

The guards then suddenly fell down and didn't move.

"What kind of trickery is this!" Giovanni demanded to know as he gathered his family in a little circle and did his best to protect them. "Who's there!"

"Hello... King..." Spoke a dark voice that sent shivers down the royal family's spine spoke.

* * *

"... and then you need to tell them how beautiful their eyes are and-"

"Stop!" Ash's head snapped up and interrupted Mikael's preaching about women. "Lucario... please tell me that I'm feeling the wrong thing..."

"_**I wish I could, master...**_" The aura-pokemon growled.

"No..." Ash's gaze was directed towards the way that he felt the disruption in his aura, which led to the castle. "Please, Ho-Oh, no..."

"What, Ash?" Lance asked worryingly, he started to sweat at the sight of the stunned boy. "What's wrong?"

"Dark Aura!" Ash roared as he drew his sword and charged back into the castle. "The same one who killed Riley!"

Lance and Mikael looked at each other for a few seconds, then Lance drew his sword too and ran after Ash, with Mikael not far behind...

* * *

"CHUUU!"

"Nwyaaah!"

The rodent and the cat fought bravely against the laughing Dark Aura, this was child's play for him, they couldn't land a single hit! Pathetic pet-pokemon...

"Enough..." Takuto growled and swung his axe at such great speed that it took both the rodent and cat to the valley of death in just one swing...

"NO!" Giovanni and Richie cried out in terror as they saw their precious pokemon fall at the hand of such evil. "You murderer!"

"Yes, so?" The Dark Aura chuckled and walked towards them. "Don't take it personally... this is only business..."

"'Business'?" Giovanni growled as he drew his hidden sword, which was hidden under his mantle. "You call coming here and trying to kill my family 'business'!"

"I'm not TRYING to kill them..." The Dark Aura smirked evilly. "I haven't even begun yet..."

Giovanni's eyes lit up in fury as he raised the sword and was about to struck the man who threatened his family.

The arm of the king shook violently when his sword came in contact with the steel-axe... making him drop the sword.

"That's... it?" Takuto asked with a frown. "Please... even Riley put up more resistance that you did..."

"Leave my castle!"

"Do you believe that yourself, honestly?"

The king only growled as he motioned his family to back up against the wall, with him protecting them with his arms spread out.

"Any last words..." Takuto paused to think. "Nah, forget about it."

He raised his axe, but lowered it when he felt another presence.

"It was very stupid of you to come here... Aura Guardian..."

The young man only stared him down with pure hate as he jumped off the big and mighty Pidgeot...

* * *

_A few moments earlier..._

* * *

"He has barred the doors!"

"Come on! Let's get a ladder here!"

"Arm yourselves, men!"

"For King Giovanni!"

The young Aura Guardian could only watch helplessly as the soldiers rushed back and forth, trying to somehow reach Giovanni and his family in the throne room.

"Ash!" The boy's head snapped up as he saw Lance run to him, cowered in sweat and a sword in his hand. "Come on! Let's help with the battering ram!"

"It's no use." The boy shook his head as he glared up towards the castle. "We're not going to have enough time... quick! Call your Dragonite!"

"He's inside the castle!" Lance growled. "He's being taken care of by breeders in a stable on the south side!"

"Damn it!" Ash spat on the ground. "Does anyone here have a flying pokemon!"

"PIDGEOOOT!" Ash, Mikael, Lance and several guards snapped their heads up to see the great bird come flying towards them...

"Impossible..." Lance mumbled, dumbfounded. "No way..."

"What?" Ash asked confused. "Out with it!"

"That's the Pidgeot your father had, the same one that he flew towards the Tree of Beginning with!"

"Pidgeot!" Ash didn't have time to be in awe of the mighty bird. "If you are the Pidgeot of my father... take me up to the castle!"

The bird shrieked in response and got down onto the ground, allowing Ash, Pikachu and Lucario to jump up on him.

"No, Lance." Ash shook his head as he saw the captain made a motion to also mount the bird. "You wouldn't stand a chance against a Dark Aura... it's better to have the least amount of casualties as possible."

"Spoken like a true warrior." Lance nodded with a serious face. "Good luck, we're going to keep trying to get the gate open!"

The two males nodded towards each other one last time before the giant bird took off towards the small castle-window...

* * *

"Let... them... go..!" Ash growled under his breath as he, and his pokemon, jumped off the Pidgeot and ignored it when it flew up to the window once again and rested there. "Or you'll regret it..."

"This seems to be my lucky day!" Takuto laughed. "Here I was angry that I needed to hunt you down after this mission... but now I get two Beedrills in one hit!"

"Let them go!" Ash roared once again.

"Watch me..." Takuto smiled at him in a twisted way... "This is for Darkrai..."

A dark-red orb flew out of his hands and went flying towards the royal family.

Ash and his partners could only watch in horror as the orb made contact with the family, causing them to completely disappear or be thrown away from the blast... dead...

"You... you..." Ash breathed heavily as his hand twitched towards his sword. "Killing a man in combat is one thing... executing a guilty man is one thing... killing an innocent man without giving them a fighting chance... You're going to DIE!"

"You like it, the feeling of hate?" Takuto asked with an amused look as Ash drew his sword and placed himself in combat-stance, along with his pokemon. "It's a nice feeling, isn't it?"

"Shut up!"

"Aww... did I awaken some bad memories?" The dark man actually giggled when he spoke those words, but then he got serious. "Alright, enough playing... it's time to take down the son of Aaron!"

He threw a dark red orb towards the Aura Guardian, only to watch it be absorbed by an aura shield that Ash threw up.

The boy was actually smirking when he lowered the shield...

"I can see it now..." Ash looked at him with unreadable eyes. "I can finally see it now..."

"See what, punk?" Takuto growled, he didn't like the fact that Ash blocked the sphere as though it was nothing, or that he was acting so calm. "What are you blabbering about?"

"You..." Another smirk appeared in the boy's eyes. "You're powerless without your Darkrai... you've been relying too much on it, you're weak without it!"

"That's a lie!" Takuto yelled, who did this boy think he was?

"Really...?" Ash smirked as he summoned an Aura Sphere in his hands. "Take this!"

A red shield was quickly summoned around Takuto, he grunted as the sphere exploded on it... maybe the boy had a little truth in what he said.

"You're born with a stronger aura than me, so what?" He mocked him with regained confidence. "I'm still able to take you down!"

"All three of us?"

"Three..." It was only now he noticed the sparking Pikachu, and the Lucario who was cracking its knuckles. "Doesn't matter! I'll kill you all!"

"This is probably the first time we'll enjoy killing somebody..." Ash growled as he charged towards the Dark Aura with his sword pointing straight to him.

The two combatants clashed with their weapons held strongly against each other, although Takuto was the stronger of the two, so Ash had to break the weapon lock and attack anew.

The Dark Aura quickly jumped to the side as an Aura Sphere that was thrown by the Lucario, who seemed utterly angry at the moment, he then had to jump away from the strong Thunderbolt the Pikachu sent against him.

"You cowards!" He spat. "Fight me one on one!"

"Like you did with Riley?" Ash shouted as he remembered the black mark the Aura Guardian had on his back when he and Lance had found him. "You don't deserve an honorable death! You deserve a coward's and murderer's death!"

"You're feeling hate..." Takuto smirked as he blocked a blow from the long-sword, and then another from the silver-bone the Lucario had summoned, and then ANOTHER one from the Iron Tail Pikachu sent him. "Does the hate feel good?"

"Yes..." Ash growled and struck against him yet again, then dodging a red Aura Sphere that was sent towards him.

"Then use it!"

"No..." Ash shook his head and relaxed, much to Takuto's surprise. "I'm fighting WITH it!"

Ash swung his sword towards Takuto on his right side...

Takuto's life seemed to go in slow-motion. He had been a fool... he was trapped!

Behind him he could feel the Lucario swing his bone-staff towards his left side. And above him he could see that yellow mouse come crashing down with it's glowing tail.

"Spiritomb damn you..." Were his last words as he felt the cold metal make contact with his flesh, killing him instantly.

Ash looked at the body, his sword and clothes bloody from both his and the Dark Aura's cuts. Pikachu tried to clean its little, yellow tail from the bloody substance on it, while Lucario only looked at his master with a neutral look.

Their first defeated Dark Aura...

But then Ash could hear a groan in the corner, he saw the body of a boy about his own age lying there groaning in pain, his life slowly fading away.

"Richie!" Ash cried out as he ran towards the boy. "Richie! You're going to be alright!"

"D- don't touch me!" The young prince cried, tears leaking down from his face. "This is all your fault!"

"W- what?" Ash stuttered, he didn't hear that right. "Richie, you're not with your senses, calm down... you're going to make it!"

"Don't lie, again!" The prince screamed, making him then scream in pain once again. "It's your fault that my family's dead!"

"What? No, you're not-"

"You promised to protect us!" Richie looked at him with eyes filled with hate. "You promised to save us from the dark! You promised to protect us with your life!"

"Cario!" The Lucario barked at the prince, even thought he was dying.

"Shut up..." Richard groaned, his heart had soon lost all its power to beat. "I hate you... Ash..."

"Richie...?" Ash slowly shook the lifeless body. "Richie...?"

"_**Master... he's dead...**_"

"No!" Ash shook his head violently. "No! He's not!"

"Pikachu, pi-pi pi chu..." The little rodent looked at him. "pika..."

The door suddenly was smashed open and several soldiers rushed in, with Lance in the front.

"No!" Ash looked sadly at the captain, Lance's outburst had even made the guards sad. "No..."

Ash slowly got up and walked past Lance, putting a hand on his shoulder for a short moment, then continued walking out.

* * *

He could see Mikael standing outside the castle, the old man got a look of relief when he saw Ash.

"Kid! You're alive!" He laughed as he hugged the young Aura Guardian. "I was so worried!"

Ash only looked at him with dead eyes.

"What?" Mikael asked in confusion. "What's wrong?"

The young man didn't need to answer, since a Royal Messenger quickly appeared.

"THE ROYAL FAMILY IS DEAD! MURDERED!" And the man continued to shout that as he ran through the town, making sure everyone heard him.

"I failed, Mikael..." Ash looked at him, his eyes dry as sand. "I failed in protecting them... I failed my oath..."

"No... Ash..."

Ash didn't listen to the old man, he only whistled for Pidgeot and mounted it, his pokemon quickly followed after.

"I need to be alone for a while, Mikael..." He looked at him once again with dead eyes. "I'll come back... but not for a long time..."

The bird then took to the air and rose higher and higher into the air.

"I failed, guys..." Ash finally managed to speak as they flew over a forest. "I failed!"

"_**No, master...**_" Lucario shook his head. "_**You finished off a Dark Aura, you're a true Aura Guardian!**_"

"Aura Guardian..." Ash growled and got a dark look on his face...

**End of chapter 5**

**

* * *

**

**Well... I did tell you that this story would contain much death... I didn't? My bad...**

**Anyway, I think you'll be able to guess pretty much what's going to happen in the next chapter... or will you?**

**Since I don't really know a good quiz based on this chapter... I'm going to give you a guessing-quiz!**

**Quiz: May and Misty will be introduced in the next chapter... which roles will they be playing?**

**It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

**R&R!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! Here's the sixth chapter of my story!**

**And for the quiz in the previous... well, it's just to check out in the chapter ;)**

**I hope you'll enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!  
**

* * *

"_**Master...**_" Lucario looked at the emotionless face of the young man, who was riding on the back of the big bird. "_**Where are we going...? I don't like the feeling of your Aura!**_"

"We're going to the place where we used to train, Lucario." Ash didn't even look at the aura-pokemon, he simply looked straight forward, they were getting close. "Don't talk."

The jackal-pokemon glared slightly at the boy. He knew it was impossible for Ash to become a Dark Aura... although the boy seemed to somehow hold in his very powerful aura... and THAT was a thing that Lucario didn't approve of...

But he only kept silent and watched as the bird went in for a landing, Pikachu looked equally depressed; they had come to the place where Sir Aaron had trained Sir Riley, and where Sir Riley had trained Sir Ash...

Ash jumped off Pidgeot and sent him a short, yet thankful, look. The bird shrieked in approval before it flew out of the walled-in construct of the forest...

"_**Master, what are you doing?**_" Lucario demanded to know as he saw his master changing his clothes back into a pair a dirty brown ones that looked too small for him. "_**It's against the code for any Aura Guardian to remove his uniform in public!**_"

"Good thing I'm not an Aura Guardian, then." Ash muttered and threw away the bloodstained and worn clothes, where they landed in the stream and floated away. "I quit!"

"_**WHAT?**_" Lucario looked furiously at the young man when he spoke those words. "_**You can't quit! You can't!**_"

"I just did..." The former Aura Guardian sent a glare towards the aura-pokemon. "I can't be an Aura Guardian... I fail every time!"

"_**What are you talking about?**_" Lucario frowned, still furious by the boy's choice. "**Y**_**ou're still young, the Aura is-**_"

"To HELL with the Aura!" Ash roared and kicked off his black boots, changing them for a pair of sandals. "Richie was right... I'm not worthy of the aura! There's no aura!"

"_**Be quiet...**_" Lucario growled.

"No! I won't!" Ash argued back and stared at him with eyes filled with fury and disappointment. "Think about it! My father died! Riley and Lucario died! I failed to protect someone every time I try! The aura DOESN'T EXIST!"

"_**QUIET!**_" Lucario jumped up and kicked Ash in the chest, making him fly a few meters before landing on the ground, hard... "_**The Aura DOES exist! Just because you can't figure out how to use it doesn't mean-**_"

"Well, then it's a good thing I quit, isn't it?" Ash growled as he got up and dusted himself off, the rodent looked very lost. "I don't seem to know how to control it... maybe I'm not destined to use it!"

"_**What are you saying...?**_"

"I'm saying that I won't use any Aura from now on!" The boy finally threw off his gray undershirt and exchanged it with a torn brown one. "I'm sick of the aura!"

"_**You fool!**_" Lucario spat at him, causing the boy arch an eyebrow. "_**You can't 'stop using aura'! You're always using it! It's trained into your senses to automatically sense and use it! You only need to think if you're using the aura shield or sphere!"**_

"Then I'll stop using them then!" Ash shouted back and picked up his backpack. "This contains the bigger version of my uniform... I'm going to get rid of it, too..."

"_**I won't let you do that...**_" Lucario had placed himself between Ash and the stream, his arms stretched out. "_**That's a rare piece of equipment, it takes ages to make such things for an Aura Guardian... I will not let you destroy it!**_"

"Fine!" Ash snapped at him, looking at him with a rather hateful look. "Then you take it!"

He threw the pack at Lucario, who simply put it next to himself, then he saw Ash's other pack.

"_**And that one...?**_" The aura-pokemon made a motion towards the other pack. "_**What's inside that?**_"

"Riley's gear and uniform..." Ash muttered, ashamed for his helplessness at that moment. "I'm going to give them to Aya, she deserves to know the truth."

"_**And, what's the truth?**_"

The former Aura Guardian only looked at the aura-pokemon with a look that nobody could read, a look of several emotions mixed together.

"I, Ash Ketchum!" He declared in a loud voice. "Hereby swear off the use of the Aura! I won't use it anymore, and nothing will change that!"

"_**Mere words...**_" Lucario growled at him, his fists glowing a light blue. "_**You're throwing away your father's heritage just like that? As though it was worth nothing!**_"

"Then, tell me! Please! What did it DO?" Ash argued back, getting more and more enraged as time passed. "It didn't do ANYTHING good! I failed every time!"

"_**You can't blame the aura for your failure!**_"

"Sure, it's all my fault!" The young man said as he attached the long-sword to his back. "Maybe I was the failure! It doesn't MATTER! I'm not using the aura anymore!"

"_**You fool...**_" Lucario only looked at him, a look of pity and fury mixed with some sadness. "_**You damn fool...**_"

"I'm sorry, Lucario..." Ash looked down onto the ground with his fists clenched. "I can't do this anymore... I can't take it... I- I can't live with the responsibilities!"

"_**You're just going to run away? Like a coward?**_" Lucario frowned in anger at the thought, the boy only sighed and looked down again. "_**You're no son of the aura... you're a thief! You don't deserve the power!**_"

"I don't want the power!" The boy started to walk up to his backpack, which he put on his shoulders. "Let's go... I don't want to spend another second in this place anymore..."

"Pika..." The little rodent uttered its first word since the death of the royal family. It jumped onto the former Guardian's shoulder and rubbed its little cheek against his. "Pi-pi chu, PikaPi."

"Thanks, Pikachu..." Ash tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He didn't like this... but he knew that he wasn't a true Aura Guardian. "Come on, let's go... Lucario...?"

"_**No...**_" The blue aura-pokemon shook his head. "_**No... I'm not going to join you in your... adventures... my destiny is with the aura...**_"

"What-... what are you saying...?"

"_**I'm staying here, I'm not a traitor or a coward... Ash...**_"

"So be it..." Ash frowned and turned his back on Lucario. "I won't see you again, Lucario... bye."

He then walked out from the big circle of bushes, towards an unknown destination.

Lucario watched as he walked away, the rodent looking back rather sadly at their former friend.

"_That's what you think..._" Lucario looked at him with anger, yet a very small smile visible on his face. "_Aura Guardian..._"

* * *

_A few days later..._

* * *

Ash stood with trembling legs at the house of Koga. He had been so determined to get here and bring Aya the news about Riley... but, now, he felt a great deal of hesitation...

He had managed to sneak past the guards, assassins and ninjas that were guarding the house very easily. And now he was at the giant stone-terrace that was in front of the giant oak-door.

He looked at the mouse on his shoulders. Pikachu tried to look brave, to support his friend, although he was equally scared and nervous... and Ash felt it...

Ash then did the only thought he could think of...

He opened his backpack and brought out Riley's uniform and sword, along with his hat. He folded the clothes neatly and carefully, a slight tear in his right eye was visible. He then put them slowly onto the stairs of the house. After that he placed the sword, which had been cleaned and polished, on top of the soft pile... after that, he finally placed the slight torn hat on top.

He let out a deep sigh and looked at the neatly placed package, this was going to be a terrible experience for that beautiful woman... he didn't want to do it... but he had no choice...

He was truly a coward... Riley had had the guts to bring forth the news, about his father's death to his mother in person... so why couldn't Ash do it? Was he too afraid? Too young? What was it...?

He looked at the small rodent for support, but the yellow pokemon only cooed sadly, causing the boy's moral to drop even further...

Ash then took another deep sigh, cleared his throat and knocked hard on the door. Then he started to sprint away.

He ran across the big lawn in a few steps, more jumping that running, and finally took a giant leap at the wall and landed on it in a kneeling position, the rodent still on his shoulder. He then heard the door open and a soft voice speak...

Silence...

Ash's heart dropped to his stomach when he heard the scream of the pregnant woman... it was a scream of sorrow, of pain, of love, of emotions, of hate, of betrayal, of depression, and many other things that the young man didn't even want to think about...

Whimpering...

Then another cry, the woman had started to cry now, and Ash could hear the man of the house come out as well...

A roar of pain now...

The young man didn't know that Koga would take Riley's death so hard... seems like Riley was an even greater man than Ash had imagined.

"I'm sorry..." The former Guardian muttered as he jumped off the wall and onto the other side. "I couldn't even fulfill Riley's last wish..."

"Pika..." The rodent cooed sadly once again, its ears drooping.

* * *

_Three weeks later..._

* * *

Ash had been on the road for a long time... he was hungry... sure, he could hunt for food... but being so close to the cities, there were not that many edible pokemon... and the chances of that pokemon being a friend of someone were very great... And he couldn't forget Pikachu, the little yellow mouse who didn't eat meat... what would he have for him?

The young man sighed, he needed work, that much he could figure out... but what could he do? He wasn't the brightest man in the region, he didn't know much about farming, smithing, cooking...nothing! And he couldn't join the army since there was a small chance that people would recognize him and then... well, then the cycle would start all over again...

"Pika... PikaPi..." The little rodent cooed quietly, he was really hungry...

Ash looked at his companion with a sad smile and rubbed its little chin, earning a tired purr from it.

"I know, buddy... I know..." The former Aura Guardian sighed and looked up the sky, it was a clear blue one. "I'm hungry, too... but we just can't afford anything..."

"Hey! Boy!" The two companions' heads snapped up from their grief and thoughts as they heard the rather loud voice. "Over here!"

"Can I help you, Mr.?" Ash walked carefully forward, his claymore hidden by a rather long, filthy brown cape that he was wearing.

"Seems like you need a job!" The man had blond hair and seemed to be around thirty years old and was having terrible breath... "Do you...?"

"Well, I guess I do..." Ash hesitated, he didn't like where this was going. "But I'm not that smart, or good at any work at all..."

"Nonsense, boy!" The man laughed and waved his hand dismissively. "Come on, let's get into the pub and talk business!"

The 'boy' and his partner looked at each other for a moment, nobody blinked... then they nodded slowly and followed the man into the dark pub of Pewter City...

Ash had only been at a bar one time before, with Riley... this estate looked even darker, although it had some kind of warm feeling inside it... a feeling that welcomed you to relax here after a hard day's work...

The boy with the Pikachu walked slowly up to the man, who had placed himself down in a chair and had a satisfied and calm smirk plastered on his face... but Ash could, unwillingly, feel the man's Aura showing nervousness and insecurity...

The former Guardian pulled out a chair and placed it on the opposite side of the table, facing the man, while the rodent jumped up onto the table and went wild on a little bowl of peanuts...

"You talked about a job-opportunity?" Ash asked with one eyebrow raised, the man's nervousness helped his own confidence... "What kind of job?"

"Hold on, son." The man held up a hand in his face, then smiled as he flipped it to offer a handshake. "I'm Morty Matsuba, businessman!"

"I'm Ash." The young man answered shortly and shook his hand. "and I'm looking for a job..."

"Ah, yes." Morty, who had a blue headband over his untamed yet sparse hair, smiled even wider as he took out some kind of document that he had been hiding from the boy. "Let's see... you're looking for a job, you say? Well... what can you do?"

"Nothing." Ash lied, Pikachu stopped eating and looked at him with a cute frown on its little face, wondering what was he up to.

"'Nothing'?" Morty smirked as he repeated the word to himself. "'Nothing'...? I've a hard time believing that..."

"Believe what you want..."

"Let me guess..." He took a sip of his beer, which had probably been ordered before Ash walked in. He eyed the boy for a moment. "You have hardened hands... you're tall for your age... your hair's rather untamed... you're pretty strong-looking, although you seem to be relying more on your speed than your strength... you're hiding something, something inside you... I would say that you would fit the description of an assassin!"

"Take that back...!" Ash growled at him, along with Pikachu who was in a battle stance. "Don't you dare insult us by comparing us to those cowards, who doesn't even dare to fight honest!"

"Calm down, kid!" Morty laughed again, but Ash could feel the man's nervousness increase again. "Assassins are not only used for stealth and silent kills!"

"For me, they are." Ash's hand moved back to the sheath of his sword, slowly stroking it without the man's notice. "I don't know what you do... but we'll not join you as assassins!"

"Then, tell me." The man looked at him with curious eyes. "What are you...?"

"I am what I'm trained to do..."

"And, what's that?"

Ash suddenly sprung up from his chair and pulled out the long sword, he moved around the table in a flash and appeared at the man's back where he then he took a hold of his hair and held the sword against his throat.

"What is this!" The owner of the bar demanded as he saw the scene being played out in front of him. "Stop this at once!"

The rodent jumped down from the table and sent out several electric bolts around himself, causing those who were coming to the man's rescue to back away.

"I'm trained to..." Ash whispered slowly as he held the sword harder against the man's throat. "I'm trained to... take a man's life..."

He then slowly lifted the edge from Morty's throat, leaving a red line on it.

The man got up on unsteady legs, but he commanded his hired men to stay down. He looked at the young man in front of him who was breathing heavily.

"'Trained to take a man's life'...?" He smirked through his shock. "Then that's what you're going to do!"

* * *

_Two years later..._

* * *

Five men sat around a campfire, two of them had black hair and looked like brothers, one of them had red hair, one had brown hair and the final one was blond. Around them were several swords and armor, but no pokemon were in sight.

"What now, men?" The red haired one, who seemed to be the leader, asked. "What now? Where's our next destination?"

"I don't know, Steve." One of the black haired ones answered him with a shrug. "I heard that the Johto region is looking for soldiers!"

"Forget it!" The blond spat, an axe at his side. "I'm not going back to the army again! Those Hoenn-freaks almost killed us!"

"Yeah, leaving was the best decision of our lives!" The other dark haired man agreed.

The five deserters started to argue with each other, some of them wanted to try and join the army of a new region... while the others didn't want to and instead wanted to test their luck some elsewhere.

"Guys!" The brown haired man opened his mouth for the first time in a long time, quickly silencing the other ones. "Did you hear that?"

"No, what?"

"Something... it's in the bushes!"

The men sprang to arms and looked at the direction where they heard the sound.

The bush rustled a little more and the men tensed themselves for the ambush... although the only thing that came out from the bush was a small, yellow mouse that seemed really tired and scared.

"A Pikachu?" The leader, Steve, asked with a frown. "You got scared by a little mouse?"

"Hey, you were equally scared!"

"Yeah!"

"Guys, let's not argue..." The blond one declared as he looked at his sword. "I'm starting to get hungry..."

The others seemed to know where he was going and smiled evilly too, the five men slowly walked towards the weakened Pikachu, planning on cooking the little being...

Then, suddenly, one of the men screamed and fell down onto the ground in terrible spasms, before his body stopped moving and only a gurgling noise could be heard and then… silence...

"Brother!" Steve cried out and ran towards his little brother. "No... NO!"

"It's a trap!" The three men, who didn't really care about their leader's little brother, exclaimed and formed a circle with their backs facing the middle. "Anyone see something?"

"No... no... no..." The man had taken the dead body of his brother, who had an arrow sticking out of his throat, and held it tightly. "No... no... I promised mom to-"

The arrow, which had pierced his skull, prevented him from saying anymore on the earth...

"Where are you, coward?" The blond man shouted into the darkness. "Show yourself!"

They could see a rather big shadow come out from the bushes, the man threw away the long object that he had been holding in his hand, probably his bow, and continued to walk towards them. He stopped by the fire, on the other side of the men...

The former soldiers growled at their friends' executioner, and it didn't help that he stood there with a neutral look, like he didn't care about the pain that he had caused by killing the two men...

"Who are you?" The red haired one demanded, as his two knives shook violently. "What do you want from us?"

"Me? I don't want anything from you..." The voice of a somewhat mature man was heard, but they could hear he wasn't that old. "However, there's a person who seems to be very fond of your... lives..."

"You son of a-" The red haired man raised his two knifes in a throwing position as he said those words... however, the knives never managed to leave his hands... "GAAAaaah...!"

Ash only looked on as the electricity coursed through the, now dead, deserter with red hair... it had been way too easy to predict his actions.

"You... you... MURDERER!" The blond one cried out and charged with his two-handed sword, the brown haired one followed suit with his axe shortly after.

The raven haired young man only stood there, waiting for the attack to come. But when the blond man was about to strike down the sixteen year old, he stepped aside and pushed him away. Then, in the blink of an eye, a very long and thin sword was visible, quickly cutting down the brown haired man, who now had a surprised face.

"NO!" The blond haired man cried as he saw his companion fall down to the ground, motionless. "No!"

The dark man only closed his eyes as he let the sword rest casually in his right hand, almost as if it didn't weight anything... He then opened his eyes and walked towards the blond haired man with emotionless eyes.

"Please..." The deserted soldier threw away his sword and knelt down. "Please... spare me... I have a family!"

"I'm sorry..." The blond man's eyes widened for several reasons... the first one of them was that the young man actually seemed to believe him; The second one was that he still had his sword raised... and the third one was that the young man actually meant his words...

Ash felt a slight vibration when the sword made contact with its target... it had been easier than he had expected this time...

"Mission complete, Pikachu..."

"Pika..." The rodent nodded in agreement, he then jumped up onto the young man's shoulder as they both left to pick up their pay...

* * *

_Two cities later..._

* * *

The redheaded girl stretched her back as she arose from the little pond, a Horsea was happily swimming around in it , the redheaded girl felt a tear in her eye...

"Miss Waterflower." Misty quickly turned her head towards the source of the voice.

"Yes?"

The man in brown simply threw the weapons onto the ground in front of her... the weapons which had killed her husband.

"Thank you..." Tears started to pour down the red haired girl's eye as she looked at Rudy's bane. "Thank you, so much..."

"You're welcome, miss Waterflower." Ash made a quick bow as he eyed the girl in pity.

He knew that the girl had once been beautiful... although the incident with the now deceased soldiers had caused her scars, both inside and out... Ash didn't know the full story, not that he wanted to know it. But from what he could imagine, he would say that the five soldiers had passed the woman's farm, tired and drunk. And when they couldn't get what they wanted by asking, they decided to use violence... it seemed that Rudy Waterflower, the now deceased husband of Misty Waterflower, had tried to stop them but it was in vain... And it also seemed that, after Rudy had been killed, Misty had done her best to try and stop the men... although it was also in vain, and they probably did things to her that Ash would've chosen death for instead, like taking one of her eyes for instance...

It was clear that she'd wanted revenge on those men... and that's where Ash came into the picture...

"I can't thank you enough..." Misty sighed to herself, she was in her mid thirties and needed to find a strong man to help her with the household before she became too old... "Well, goodbye then."

"Miss Waterflower..." The redheaded woman stopped in her tracks as she heard the tone in his voice, which sounded disappointed... "My pay...?"

"Please, Mr. Mercenary..." The woman looked at him with pleading eyes. "I have barely any money left! Those bandits destroyed my farm and killed my husband! Can't you show a little pity?"

"That's not my job, miss." The young man growled slightly, as the rodent on his shoulder was looking at her with a small apologetic smile. "You might have a hard time... but so do we, do you think we enjoy killing people? We're only doing this to survive, I'm not a murderer... at least that's what I hope I'm not."

The woman got a dark, yet frightened, look over her face as she quickly loosened something from her belt, she walked up to the mercenary and put the little sack in his right hand, the sound of metal clinking against each other could be heard.

Ash just weighed the small bag in his hand a bit before he nodded and put it into his traveling sack.

"You're a thief, mercenary..." She whispered harshly to him, before she turned and started to walk towards her house.

"The name's Ash, Miss Waterflower." The mercenary called after her, after he stopped Pikachu from launching a Thunderbolt towards her. "It's Ash..."

* * *

"So... you finished the job...?" The blond man, with a blue bandanna around his head, asked eagerly as he eyed the sixteen year old boy in front of him. "You completed it?"

Ash didn't answer him. He only pushed the little, brown sack over the table, towards him. Morty opened it with a satisfied smirk.

They were in Morty's 'Hidden Lair'... but in reality it's in a house in the middle of the town, and it's one of the biggest and most expensive houses there too... Yet, Ash could feel some kind of evil Aura surround it, like it was inhabitant by people who seemed to enjoy their evil deeds a little too much...

"I finished it, yes." Ash nodded, he had never liked the man... although he soon came to accept him, since he seemed to treat everyone there as his own family... as long as they got the job done that is. "That's the amount of money she gave to us... more or less."

The man sighed, he looked at the mercenary/assassin in front of him, even thought the young man refused to be called an 'Assassin'...

"Ash..." He looked at him over the lit candle, causing a small shiver to be sent down the former Guardian's spine. "This can't go on..."

"What are you talking about, Morty?"

"I'm talking about you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you." Morty nodded and sighed a second time. "This can't go on."

"What can't go on?"

"This, how you behave."

"I'm only doing my job!"

"And you're doing it well!" The man defended with a sad smile. "But that's the problem... you're giving me a too big reputation."

"I don't understand..."

"You see..." Morty took a sip of his mead, it was going to kill him some day... "You're doing too well. You've never failed a mission, you're quick, you're precise, you're brave, you're too good!"

"I don't get it-"

"That's a good thing, don't mistake me!" Morty held up his hands as though it were a joke, although he was feeling slightly scared. "I'm talking about the way you behave! Since when did you obey any of my rules? I told you to not bring any weapons into my house... and look at what you're doing!"

"I'll never separate from this weapon..." Ash growled and felt his hand unconsciously move up towards the hilt of the long sword. "Over your dead body..."

"And there we have another problem!" Ash's hand quickly dropped down. "You're only obeying the orders you feel to be 'right'!"

"We've had this argument before, Morty." Ash glared at him while he tapped his foot. "Those children were innocent! They shouldn't have to pay for what their father did."

"They had been raised to hate people like us!"

"We don't know that!"

"You're so-"

"Pika! Pikachu, pi! Pika-Pi" The rodent cried out as it jumped up onto the table, glaring at his employer and partner. "Pika!"

"Pikachu's right." Ash nodded slowly, slightly proud of his friend. "We are not here to talk about the past... you said you were going to get rid of me?"

"Not get rid of!" Morty shouted, quickly gaining attention from one of his hired guards. "No, leave us! What I'm trying to say is... we're firing you..."

"I see..." Ash closed his eyes and got up. "You don't want me here, I can accept that... Pikachu, let's go."

"Hold it!" Morty raised his hand, his confidence now increasing. "We only said that we didn't want you here, Pikachu's still a great resource for us!"

"You're kidding, right...?" Ash asked with a big frown. "Me and Pikachu have been best friends since we were two! You can't just separate us like that!"

"Can't I...?" Morty smirked and leaned back in his chair, his confident voice had come back. "You're a spent force, Ash... Pikachu, on the other hand, still knows how to execute an order!"

* * *

_One year later..._

* * *

Hoenn, a very beautiful region indeed... although, you could feel that they were under pressure by the landlords as well as the royal family. But the people did their best to be as happy as possible, they didn't question the authority and the authorities left them alone... most of the time...

But, today, the people were very happy. Since today was the day when the mayor of Petalburg City's beautiful daughter would be married to a cousin of the royal family, Harley Shu.

Preparations were being completed, people sang and danced out in the street as a great wagon was being driven towards the big stone-church, everybody was happy, or so it seemed...

You couldn't really see who the man dressed in dark brown clothes was. But some people would guess that from his height and body, he would be around seventeen years old.

They couldn't see his face, since he had a brown traveling cloak around himself and a hood over his head that swayed as he as he made his way towards the church.

People who looked closely at him could see some black hair poke out from the brown cloak, and he seemed a little stiff in his back, like he was carrying something. Of course, he was carrying a black backpack on his back, but his spine seemed too straight to be normal, and it poked up slightly in the neck...

The wagon-driver shouted at the mysterious young man as he was close to running him over, but the stranger simply ignored him and continued instead to walk across the road and didn't pay any attention to the happy and dancing people.

He looked at the building of stone, it would clearly be impossible to just walk inside, not even the mysterious stranger could take care of so many guards at the same time... fortunately, he didn't need to use the entrance...

He walked discretely around it, observing his surroundings, to which he noted that there was nobody about. He could see the promised rope that was hanging down the side of the wall, it looked a little weak, but he guessed that it would hold him up.

He took a firm grip around the rope and heaved himself up, inch by inch. He was going pretty high up, and it was a good thing that he had no fear of heights.

Soon enough, he had managed to climb up towards the discrete balcony that not many knew about and that was a good thing.

He peeked through the curtains of the church where he found no one in sight. He then quickly pushed the curtains aside and walked in.

Now he could see it... several painted images of the great pokemon Rayquaza were showing on the windows and walls, how it was said to have defeated Ho-Oh, Arceus, Lugia, you name it. The people of Hoenn took pride in their strong protector; it was only a shame that the legendary pokemon had never shown itself to any human... much less helped them in the war against the other regions.

There was a big stone altar at the end of the church, completely opposite where the man stood. Several benches were placed along the aisle, most of them were already filled with people who had wanted a good spot.

The man had very good eyesight; he could actually see the heads of the bride's father, brother and mother, sitting on the bench in the front row and waited eagerly for their daughter/sister to be married... Norman, Maxwell and Caroline Maple...

The musicians started to play; it was a nice slow rhythm, very fitting for the ceremony. The man's eyes widened, he hadn't noticed how the purple haired man in his thirties had appeared at the altar, how could he have not seen that?

He needed to hurry, he could already hear the people gasp as the doors opened and showed the young bride walking in, with several servants trailing behind her.

He quickly removed his hood, showing his middle-length raven colored hair and serious face. He quickly removed the backpack from his back and opened it, a little rodent poked out its head from it and looked around with blinking eyes.

"Pi?"

"We're late, Pikachu." The man explained quickly. "The bride's already about to walk up towards the altar."

"Pika! PikaPi, chu!" The rodent declared and jumped out from its hiding place and quickly looked around. "Chu?"

"I know, I know." Ash growled and threw his cloak to the side, showing a long sword-sheath and an almost as long bow over it. "We're really late, I don't need to hear it again."

"Pi!" The rodent crossed its little arms and turned his back towards his friend, while the bride was visible to see.

"Quiet..." Ash whispered, even thought he knew that his friend would always be with him, just like when Pikachu had turned down Morty's offer and ran after Ash... right after the mouse had lit the man's house on fire...

Ash carefully removed his long-bow and looked over the balcony; she was indeed a beautiful girl.

She looked to be around the former Guardian's age, her brown hair was swaying slightly as she walked with determined steps towards her much older fiancé.

An arrow was pulled from a quiver and placed onto the bow, slowly tensing it. He didn't know why he tried to be so quiet; the music was playing so loudly that he could actually scream out loud without anybody hearing him.

He put the bow along the balcony's rail, to have better support as he aimed at his target...

* * *

"My dear friends!" The priest lifted his arms and looked around at the congregation. "The great Rayquaza be praised! This is the day we unite two of Hoenn's strongest families! The brave Maple family, and the noble Shu family!"

The old man halted for a moment, even if he already knew that nobody would applaud or speak against him. He then cleared his throat, he was somehow getting a bad feeling about this...

"When Rayquaza first won the great battle of the legendaries! He swore that he would treat the people of Hoenn with love and care, that he would look out for us and be our guide in..."

May Maple's eyes had a slight tinge of fear in them, she didn't listen to the priest's sermon, she already knew that children's story by heart... She had a terrible feeling in her stomach, a feeling that she didn't like. It wasn't because her family had decided to give her away to a man who was twice her age... it was something different...

Then, it happened...

"So, do you May Maple, daughter of Norman Maple, take this man, Harley Shu, to be your lawfully wedded husband, for richer or poorer, for better or for worse, till death do you part?"

"I do." The beautiful girl nodded, still not knowing why she had that bad feeling. She could hear the audience in the church murmur and nod their liking.

"And do you, Harley Shu, relative of the royal family, take this young woman, May Maple, to be your lawfully wedded wife, for richer or poorer, for better or for worse, till death do you part?"

"I do." The middle age man answered with a smile, he was feeling very happy.

"Then, by the power invested in me by the great Rayquaza, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife!" The priest declared with a smile as he backed away a few steps to give the new couple the limelight. "You may now kiss the bride."

Harley Shu smiled and took a step towards the girl, but May still couldn't figure out the strange feeling, and it seemed to have hit Harley too... since the man felt as though... something had pierced him... He frowned as he could hear people gasp, and even hear his newly wedded wife scream in terror, what was it with them?

His eyes widened as he heard the dripping sound as though something was falling down onto the floor, something liquid...

He looked down at himself and his mouth hung agape, he didn't remember his costume having a piece of wood on the chest area... He poked it slightly, wincing at the pain that he felt as the sharp metal moved around the inside his body.

"Huh..." Was all he said before he fell down onto the floor in a puddle of his own blood.

It was silent in the church, most of the people hoped that it was all a joke, since the man was famous for his twisted humor. The young brunette poked at the man with her foot, trying to wake him up without staining her white dress too much.

"Till death do you part..." All people in the church turned towards the direction of the echoing voice and could see a young man in a brown hood standing on a balcony. "Guess that means that the girl's a widow..."

Then, all hell broke loose as people panicked and screamed...

* * *

Guards were rushing back and forth in the town, looking for the murderer that had killed a member of the royal family, they wouldn't rest until they found the guilty person...

That's why it was pretty amusing to see the same person walk out in the open, with his hood down, while the guards ran past him looking for a person with a hood over his head...

He continued to walk towards the house where the one who had hired him promised to be, it was rather humorous if Ash would say this himself... maybe that was proof as to how the world had changed him..?

The mercenary came up towards the derelict house which had smashed windows. A slight stench wafted out from it as he carefully opened the big oak-door.

It was dark inside, but he could feel the aura of his customer...

"You did a good job." The voice said.

"If you don't mind me asking..." Ash looked towards the shadows, where the person stood. "Why did you want him killed, Lady May?"

The beautiful brunette giggled slightly as she walked out into the light, still wearing her wedding dress, which had some blood stains on it.

"Easy, silly!" She giggled some more before she motioned for Ash to sit down, however he remained standing. "Now I'm a part of the royal family!"

"You're what?" The mercenary asked with a big frown. "All this, just so you could be a part of the royal family of Hoenn?"

"Yes, indeed." May smiled sweetly, but Ash felt an aura of craziness around her, she was not healthy in the mind... But that wasn't Ash's problem.

"Alright, then." He cleared his throat and glanced at the rodent, who also had a similar feeling. "Then I guess it's only my pay left now, isn't it?"

"Of course!" May laughed and handed him a package filled with money. "Here, I must say... I thought ordering for the murder of royalty would be more expensive!"

"The price depends on the difficulty of the job, Lady May." Ash bowed shortly. "And I don't count this as a hard mission."

"Oh, but this isn't even over yet!" May laughed and moved herself closer towards Ash, causing the mercenary's hand to slowly move up towards his sword. "They won't rest until they've found the murderer... and what would happen, if I accidentally saw the murderer and told the people...? That I know that the person in question is the famous mercenary Ash?"

"Mistakes are easily made, Lady May..." Ash growled, pondering if he should use his sword or not. "What do you want...?"

"I'm a widow, and I'm lonely, Ash..." The beautiful girl whispered to him, her words sent shivers down the mercenary's spine. "And you seem to be the right man to take care of me..."

"And if I say no?"

"Then I guess I have no other choice than to snitch on you!" May giggled in a very un-lady like fashion... "So, what do you say?"

"I say... that you don't seem to know a lot about the Hoenn royal family's tradition..." Now it was Ash's turn to smile, as he had come to the decision that this woman was evil. "Now it all makes sense... I thought it was strange that you ordered the execution for after you'd been married... but I see you don't have knowledge about the tradition..."

"What tradition..?" May whispered harshly to him, the rodent's cheeks sparked a little. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the 'Widow-Burning', my lady." With those words, the mercenary exited the house, with the rodent on his shoulder, and left a dumbfounded widow in his wake...

He could see several guards walk past him and enter the house, not knowing about the previous events that happened inside. He could hear the girl scream in terror and fury as they brought her away to a place that even he didn't even want to think about.

Ash Ketchum felt pity...

**End of chapter 6**

**

* * *

**

**You've no idea how much I was against to write the last part... but this was the only way to prevent me from making an advanceshipping ending :(**

**Seems like nobody managed to guess May's character right (although, it was probably too hard), but some of you guessed Misty's role correct!**

**Oh, and before I forget: My BetaReader want me to tell you that he doesn't check my Author Notes(thought it was pretty clear...). So he, I quote: "********Take no responsibility for any and all of the mistakes in that!"  
Ah... it feels so good to know that my English sucks :)**

**Another question:**** Brock's going to be introduced in the next chapter... what role do you think he'll have?**

******It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

******R&R!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello there! Here's the next chapter, right on time!**

**Now, for you who guessed on Brock's position... nobody had the right answer! But you need to think a little more, what does he really do in the anime(except hitting on girls and cook)?**

**But, don't worry, I will have a new question in the end of the story!**

**For now: Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!  
**

* * *

Solaceon Town... a town that was unique in the way that half the town was built on the open plane and the other half in the forest... a perfect town for any man who would wanted to hide or lay low... a perfect town for Ash Ketchum...

A few travelers, mostly people who were traveling towards Sinnoh's main castle, passed through this town. However, when they did so, they always tried to go through the town as quickly as possible...

The pub only had a few people in it. Two old ladies that couldn't keep their mouths shut, a bartender who was drying glasses with a dirty cloth, an old man that was reminiscing about the past, a middle-aged man who looked quite nervous... and a young man of about 18 years in age, a little rodent perched on his shoulder.

"Alright, let's get to business..." The young man said in a mature voice, although you could still hear a trace of youth in it. "You said you wanted something?"

"Yes..." The man said slowly, his hands twitching nervously. His name was Roger, Ash didn't want to know his last name... His gray hair was starting to lose ground as it began, and ended, at the back of his head... However, the man was considered as some sort of mayor of the town, so Ash had to show some kind of respect towards him... "... I do have a job for you..."

"How have you come to know about me?" The young man asked as the rodent eyed the man suspiciously, almost looking right through his soul...

"I... I..." The man's hands started to shake even more, even though the young man had a calm aura around himself. "I heard about you a few months ago, when you escorted that caravan to the harbors!"

Ash nodded, remembering that job... they had been under constant fire from bandits and plunderers who had wanted the rich family as well as the treasure that was being escorted... many people had lost their lives in its defense, but Ash and Pikachu had made sure that even more on the other side had lost theirs...

"What's the job?" The former guardian was feeling tired, he had traveled long today and only wanted some rest. "Just get it out quickly."

"Of course, of course!" The man waved his hands in front of himself, for a reason the two friends didn't understand. "But it might be hard... it might be almost impossible for me to explain!"

"Tell me, and I'll decide if it's impossible or not." Ash never liked it when somebody questioned his abilities, and he sure as hell hated it when people who didn't know him did so... "Who's going to die?"

"How did you kn-"

"Tell me!"

"It's... it's a... witch..." Roger stuttered, his eyes nervously looking at the mercenary's hand that moved towards his sword. "She's been terrorizing this town for years! People have tried to stop her, but they've never returned!"

"Who did you lose?" The question took the middle-aged man by surprise as he almost fell out from his chair, ignoring the young man's slight chuckle.

"Lose?"

"Don't play that game with me, you're far too easy to read." The former guardian almost yawned, this was getting tiresome. "A wife? Lover? Friend?"

"My..." The man cleared his throat. "My son... he went to fight the witch and... didn't return..."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Mr. Roger." Ash lifted his cup towards the man and drank to his son's honor. "Tell me all that you know about her and I'll make sure that she'll not live to see the sunrise..."

"Alright..." Roger sighed and looked the mercenary directly in the eyes, no longer feeling any fear. "I'll tell you everything..."

* * *

Hearthome City, the capital of Sinnoh. This may not be the biggest or the strongest town in the region... but it was THE city, the city that had access to all kinds of resources, the city that was situated right in the middle of the region, the city that most people lived in or passed through, the city that housed the royal family...

Cyrus Berlitz was a great man indeed, known for his strength in both the council affairs and out on the battlefield... although he was not as great a ruler as Giovanni of Kanto, or as strong on the battlefield as Sir Aaron of the Aura, but he was still a strong, fair King. A King who people looked up to.

He was 55 years old and had blue hair, tired-looking eyes yet his face shone with kindness. He was dressed like most nobilities in the pokemon-world, in a red and long mantle with matching pants and vests. However, at that particular moment in time he was troubled over something...

Beside him sat a woman, a very beautiful woman for her age.

Johanna Berlitz was just a year younger than her husband. She was the kind of queen whose beauty would lift any warrior's spirit and make him charge back into the heat of battle, even if they knew the fact that death was almost certain. She was just as brave and wise as her husband was.

The region of Hoenn and Johto might have Kings ruling over them. However, they saw their Queens as "Baby-makers"... on the other hand however, Kanto and Sinnoh respected their queens, and the queens and Kings ruled the region together, like any married, royal, couple should.

"Cyrus..." Johanna smiled at her loving husband, who still had a troubled look on his face as he sat on his throne. "It's going to be alright... she's done this several times already, and we all know how it ends!"

"Yes, my dear... we all know..." King Cyrus sighed and stroked his Purugly's fur. "It'll end in us sending out half of our guard force to look for her!"

"She's still young, dear." Johanna smiled sadly at him. "She just doesn't want to take her responsibilities as a princess of Sinnoh."

"But that's the problem!" Cyrus cried out in frustration as he threw away the goblet that had been in his hand where it hit the floor with a resounding clang. "She's not ready! But who knows how much time you and I have left? I mean, look at Kanto's family! Wiped out by a stunt from a Dark Aura, and it was even said that an Aura Guardian fought for their lives in that battle!"

"Cyrus!" Johanna snapped at him, sounding both hurt and angry. "Don't talk about that incident! Their death's a terrible blow to their Kingdom... but Captain Lance's doing his best to maintain the Kanto region's balance until they've chosen a new royal family... I'd say that we should send them some support troops, to protect them from the Hoenn region!"

"I couldn't agree more..." Cyrus nodded with a sad expression. "Unfortunately, we need every man that we have to maintain our borders with Hoenn, maybe it was a bad call to reopen our negotiations again with Kanto?"

"No, it was a wise decision!" Johanna argued back. "The grudges have been going on too long! It's time to open the peoples' eyes once again!"

Cyrus only smiled at his beautiful yet wise wife as his eyes filled with new love and hope.

"That's why you're the queen..."

* * *

"Princess! Wait for me!" A servant of about 17 years who had brown hair and a pink dress, was running after the beautiful girl of about the same age, her long hair flowing like waves in the wind as she ran.

"Come on, Leona!" She shouted back, laughing as she did so. "Let's get out of this place!"

"Princess! Your parents won't like this!" Leona shouted terrified as she saw her friend and princess approaching the tree-line of the forest. "Don't do it, princess! Please!"

The servant finally managed to tackle the princess to the ground, getting dirt on both their dresses. She then got up on her knees, hand on her hips, and glared at the royalty.

"Princess Dawn!" Leona snapped at her long-time best friend. "What in the world made you want to run away like that?"

"They just want to marry me off to a prince, Leona!" Dawn whined slightly as she spoke, some tears visible in her eye. "They don't care about me!"

"Don't talk like that, princess!" Leona begged her, until she saw two figures approaching. "Look! Piplup and Swinub are here!"

True to word. A blue penguin and a little hairy pig ran up to their friends, scolding them for their stupid stunt.

"Pipluuup!" The penguin waved it's little arms furiously as it resisted the urge to peck the princess. "Pip-piplup PIP!"

"Chill out, Piplup!" Dawn only laughed away the penguin's troubles. "It was just a game!"

"'A game'?" Leona wanted to scream at her best friend, although she managed to reign it in, only just though. "Don't you understand how many people would like to kidnap you? To hold you for ransom?"

"No..."

"You're the only child of the royal family of Sinnoh!" The servant screamed as she waved her arms, a vein slightly showing on her head. "You can't just run around as you see fit!"

"Why not?" Dawn frowned again, she was starting to grew tired of all this scolding. "Who's going to stop me from doing this?"

"THEM!" Leona responded with a harsh tone as she pointed at the guards that were coming from every direction. They surrounded the girls and their pokemon as they motioned for them to follow them back to the castle... the four followed them without question...

* * *

"Running away from home, worrying me and your mother to death, trying to get yourself kidnapped or killed, disobeying our orders, making us look like fools in front of the people, made the guards leave their posts just to find you... AGAIN!" Cyrus screamed as he scolded his daughter, yet Dawn was only half listening to him. "Do you realize what you've done?"

"Yeah..." Dawn only yawned, placing a hand over her mouth, causing a vein appear on the King's head. "I've been 'Running away from home, worrying you and mother to death, trying to get myself kidnapped or killed, disobeying your orders, making us look like fools in front of the people, made the guards leave their posts just to find me... AGAIN!'"

Johanna had to force herself not to giggle as she heard her daughter mimic her husband... unfortunately, Dawn noticed that and it only made her much more encouraged.

"Calm down, daddy!" The young woman then did something unexpectedly, she hugged her father tightly. "It was only a game! Nobody was going to get hurt!"

"I... I..." The King tried to force himself to stay mad... yet, when one's own daughter hugged you like that, who could resist? "Just... don't do it again, alright?"

"I won't!" Dawn laughed sweetly as she ran away, Leona hot on her heels. "Thanks daddy, mommy!"

"That sounds so... familiar..." Johanna smirked as she saw the look on her husband's face. "That's right... that's the thing she promised the last time! And the time before that, and the time before that, and-"

"Alright, I see your point, woman!" Cyrus waved his hand dismissively. "But what can I do? I need some solution to this problem…"

"Um... excuse me, my King...?" Cyrus's head snapped up at the voice of his advisor.

"Yes, Mr. Harrison?"

The 27 year old squint-eyed man cleared his throat and walked up to the King, not feeling at all intimidated at being under the King's scrutiny.

"This is just a suggestion but..." He paused to think for a few seconds, just to gather his thoughts. "How about finding a bodyguard for the princess? Leona surely cannot keep running after the princess all the time! And if we get a bodyguard for the princess, she might be able to go to places a little further from the castle?"

"That's a good suggestion, Harrison..." Cyrus nodded, liking. "Very good indeed... Unfortunately, I don't have any woman in my army that would be suited to being a bodyguard for the princess... they're too valuable to their units and I can't suddenly pull one out just to guard my daughter!"

"Who said anything about a woman?" Brock asked with a raised eyebrow and a small smirk.

"How dare you even SUGGEST that the Princess of Sinnoh should be guarded by a man!" The King demanded furiously as spittle flew out of his mouth, he really treasured his daughter too much to even suggest such a thing. "Do you even realize what kind of other danger that would put her in?"

"Yes, I do, my liege..." Brock hesitated once again as he now didn't dare look the King in the eyes. "But I-"

"And, which of my soldiers would I chose? They would probably take it as an opportunity to ask for special privileges and-"

"My King! Please!" Brock had to shout to interrupt the King, who was now rambling out of worry. "Listen to me! I have an idea..."

"Let's hear it then, Brock." Johanna, who'd known the advisor since his childhood, motioned for him to continue.

"Thank you, my queen." Brock smiled in relief, she was truly a kind soul. "As I was going to say: Who said that we would need a man from our army?"

"You want us to recruit someone from Kanto's armies?" Cyrus asked with a deep frown, he didn't like this idea...

"No, I-"

"Johto?"

"No-"

"Hoenn?"

"No!" Brock shook his head in frustration. "I'm talking about recruiting somebody who only is loyal to the one who is paying him! One who has no connections or affiliation to anyone else! I'm talking about-"

"A mercenary..." Cyrus muttered, finally seeing where his advisor was going.

"Yes." Brock smiled, feeling slightly nervous. "That would be the best choice for us, we have the money, we have the need, we-"

"Don't have a man trustworthy enough." Cyrus interrupted him once again with annoyance in his voice.

"Let him speak, Cyrus." A smile was visible on the queen's face. "I think our friend already has a suitable candidate for the job!"

"You're absolutely right, my queen." Brock bowed deeply.

"Then tell me..." Cyrus looked at his subordinate with a curious yet suspicious look. "What's the name of this... mercenary...?"

"He goes by the name of... 'Ash, the Mercenary'..." Brock smiled.

* * *

_Present time... outside the house of the witch, Sabrina..._

* * *

"Well..." The beautiful witched smirked as she watched the young man float out of the bush. "Looks like somebody's trying to kill me!"

Ash didn't answer her, he just looked at her coldly, probably wishing her all the pain in the world right now...

"Let's see what you've got inside that cute, little head of yours..." The young witch smirked even wider as her eyes glowed a darker red... suddenly, her eyes widened and she got a scared look on her face. But the scared look disappeared a moment later as she smiled evilly at him. "I can see that you both can and want to resist and kill me... but why aren't you doing so, Aura Guardian?"

"Quiet!" Ash growled at her, his voice filled with hate. "If you're going to kill me, then do it! Don't play around with me!"

"Poor child..." She pretended to be hurt as she saw the young man try to wiggle free from her spell. "Don't you know anything about me? No... I'm not going to kill you... not just yet anyway... I'm going to have a little fun with you, before I kill you."

"I can't wait..." The young man muttered as he continued to struggle. Every now and then, he would feel as though he was close to getting out of the spell, but then the force around him would grow stronger and it would prevent him from moving. "But I would choose a quick death, I would've done that for you!"

"And I'm grateful, former Aura Guardian." Sabrina giggled to herself as she played a little with the young man, by throwing him up and down with her powers.

Ash could then feel his claymore-looking weapon being drawn out, by an invisible force, from its sheath. Then it lazily floated through the air for a while before it came to rest against his throat.

"Is this the little toy you were planning to take my head with?" The witch asked with a raised eyebrow, clearly not impressed. "That's all you've got?"

"I'm full of surprises..." Ash growled, the cold metal still against his throat.

"I know that... I can read your mind, remember?" The witch winked at him. The young man felt disgust, since he could read her aura. "I know everything about you! And we've only been here for a few minutes!"

"You don't know everything about be!" Ash snapped and tried to break free from her spell, but he stopped as he felt the blade being held even more firmly against his throat.

"Oh, but I do, mercenary." Sabrina smiled at him. Her smile was so beautiful that it would be able to bewitch any man... Ash, however, was completely immune to it... "I know everything there is to know about you!"

"No..." Ash smirked through the spell. "You don't..."

Then the young man could feel his back make contact with the ground as he suddenly was let loose from the spell. The woman's scream resounded across the area as the rodent's Thunderbolts coursed through her... however, she managed to put up some defensive barriers but they only slightly minimized the effect of the attack. Pikachu's attacks couldn't really kill her, only cause her a great deal of pain and distract her for a short period of time... Ash had to act fast.

He quickly bent down and picked up his sword from the ground, the reflection from the sun blinded him for a brief period. Ash put a firm grip around the handle and rushed towards the screaming witch, a determined look on his face.

Pikachu was starting to grow tired, and Sabrina was gradually recovering from the onslaught... that's why it came as a relief when he saw his friend swing his sword at the witch, and watched as her body grew limp before falling to the ground, still twitching every now and then from the immense amount of electricity coursing through her body before that too stilled...

"Pi...ka...?" The little rodent panted as he walked up to his friend, nuzzling his head against Ash's leg.

"No, Pikachu." Ash shook his head with a relieved smile. "We're not quite done yet..."

He then closed his eyes, raised the sword and let it fall on the corpse's neck, he didn't even want to imagine the scene in front of him... however, the smell told him all that he needed to...

The former Guardian could then feel the little rodent poke his leg with some kind of soft material. Ash sent the rodent a thankful look and took the sack from him as he put the head of the, now dead, witch in it, and tied it tight...

"Now, Pikachu..." Ash looked at the sun that was just starting its journey across the sky. "Now... it's mission complete."

* * *

"He's done it! It's all over!"

"Hail Ash, the Mercenary! Sabrina's bane!"

"The hero of Solaceon Town!"

Ash smiled, slightly troubled, at the people's chants and cheers. But he pretended to not notice them, although it did feel good to be celebrated as a hero from time to time... He only continued towards the bar from where he had received the mission, the brown sack still held tightly in his grip.

He opened the heavy oak-door with a slight push. The few people inside the pub also started to cheer as soon as he entered it, the old women gossiped about his achievements as the old men compared his work to similar things they'd done when they were younger... however, no man or woman could look prouder or more relieved than the man with gray hair, Roger. The middle-aged man sat there with a calm look, tears almost forming in his eyes of gratitude.

Ash walked up to him, the rodent on his shoulder, and sat next to him, throwing the sack over to him in the process.

Roger opened the sack and grimaced at the stench that emerged from it. However he then nodded his liking and closed the bag. He took a deep sigh of relief and then looked at the young man once again, as he prepared to say something.

"Ash..." He started and slid a cup of ale towards him. "The people of Solaceon Town can't thank you enough... you've done something that not even a group of twenty men could do! You've brought peace to our village."

"Thanks, but it's only part of my job." Ash thought that the man's words were slightly exaggerated, but he still welcomed them all the same, since he wasn't often treated as a hero nowadays... "But, I have to admit, there were times when she almost got me..."

"But she didn't!" Roger smiled at him and traded Ash's big sack with a smaller, black one. "Here! The pay that was promised!"

Ash weighted the bag in his hands with his eyes closed. He then opened it and threw out about ¼ of the total sum inside it back to roger.

"That's too much." Ash smiled calmly as he then tied the sack again. "When I'm done I just want the sum that we agreed on. No more, no less."

"You're truly one of a kind, mercenary." Roger laughed as he patted the young man on the back. "Where are you going to go now?"

"Wherever jobs exists..." Ash paused to think as he drained his ale, as Pikachu went through a bowl of peanuts on the table. "However... if you've another task for me here, then..."

"Actually, there's something else..." Roger smiled at the young mercenary as he watched him stroke the Pikachu's fur. "You see... my wife's going to travel to the harbors and-"

"In the name of the King, I order all of you to clear this building!" The authoritative voice of a beautiful, blond woman echoed through the pub.

Everybody quickly got up and scrambled to get out, some of them just finding improvised exits since there were too many people crowding at the doors... However, it's probably not even necessary to say that a certain young man and rodent didn't comply the orders...

"Do you have a problem with the orders?" The blond woman, who seemed to be in her early forties, demanded as she fingered her short sword, her other hand carrying a shield with the Sinnoh emblem on it...

"He's not my King..." Ash muttered as he glared at the blond woman and the twenty, or so, soldiers with her, the memory of King Giovanni's death still fresh on his mind. "I only obey those who I find to be worthy of my obedience!"

"What's your name, peasant?" Cynthia, the captain of Sinnoh's army, demanded to know as she pointed her, now drawn, sword towards him.

"I'm not a peasant..." The mercenary looked at the woman with a tilted head. "Peasants are people like farmers, who are hard-working people who works from dawn to dusk in order to survive... I'm Ash, a mercenary."

"YOU are 'Ash, the Mercenary'?" Cynthia laughed straight in his face at those words as the other soldiers had formed a ring around him. "Please... I don't have time for fun and games, the Ash we're looking for is a great warrior and a fearless protector!"

"Thanks for the compliment." Ash lifted his cup towards them, even thought it was empty. "But I don't have time for you... so tell your King to shove it and leave me alone... alright?"

That sentence struck a nerve in the blond captain... nobody insulted the Sinnoh Region's mighty King in front of her and got away with it!

"Seize him!" She ordered her soldiers, both pokemon and human, as she walked towards him.

"So it begins..." Ash sighed and threw the cup, hitting a soldier, who was not wearing his helmet, sending him down for the count. "Pikachu, you take care of the soldiers, I'll take care of this old woman!"

"Pika!" The rodent cried out in agreement he started sending out thunderbolt after thunderbolt the soldiers closest to him, with no intention to kill of course. However, it did make the guards cry out in pain and then fall to the ground, twitching.

Ash didn't even bother unsheathing his sword; he fought the Sinnoh's army captain with his sword still in its scabbard.

Cynthia growled, how did this boy even dare to question the authority of the mighty King Cyrus? She swiped at his head, but he evaded it with ease and then used his weapon to sweep her off her feet, causing her to fall down onto the ground.

"Come on, beautiful, get up!" Ash mocked the captain with a big smirk on his face, clearly enjoying himself. He could feel the rodent darting back and forth throughout the room, shocking any of the soldiers who came near itself...

Cynthia growled once again in anger and annoyance as she slowly got up from the ground, her heavy armor hindering her slightly... She tried to strike the young man with her shield, however the man kicked it away as though it were nothing. She then tried to kick him back, only to get a blow to her knee too, she winced slightly but didn't back down.

"I think it's time we end this..." Ash almost yawned as he, to the blond woman's great surprise, snatched her shield and threw it to the side. "This won't help you now, it will only slow you down!"

"You little..." Cynthia's face grew red with anger as she lifted her short sword and prepared to decapitate the young man.

However, she wasn't ready to see the young man disappear and then reappear behind her, forcing her down to he knees and holding his, now unsheathed, sword against her throat. The other soldiers were either unconscious or too weak to stand... thirty of Sinnoh's strongest soldiers had lost against a young man and his Pikachu...

"Surrender?" The young man asked so calmly that Cynthia became rather frightened, he didn't even sound the slightest bit tired! "I can finish this now... but I doubt that it'll help Sinnoh, or my current relations with them..."

"You... you..." The blond captain didn't know what to say, she only stuttered and tried to think up something quick.

"You said you were looking for Ash, the Mercenary...?" The young man ignored her stutter and only held his sword harder against her throat. "Well... that's me, so SPEAK!"

"That's impossible!" The captain declared as she tried to look at the young man behind her from her kneeling position. "That mercenary is a strong warrior, he's fearless! He could hold out against forty bandits that attacked a farm, all by himself!"

"I had Pikachu with me." The young man responded, sounding slightly satisfied to know that even the royal families had heard of his achievements... "But that wasn't the answer I was looking for... I'll ask you again: What do you want with me?"

"The King..." Cynthia just had to accept the fact, for the moment, that this boy really was the famous mercenary. "The King has a proposition for Ash, the Mercenary..."

"Really? The royal King of Sinnoh?" Ash seemed to consider it... a faint memory that he tried suppress reemerged in his head, how the prince of Kanto had talked about them... "What kind of proposition?"

"They didn't say!" Cynthia answered quickly as she felt that her life was at stake. "My orders were only to bring the mercenary to them and make sure that he wasn't armed or dangerous when he was brought before them!"

"I believe you." The beautiful captain could feel the sword being lifted away from her throat. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to look at him. To her immense confusion, the young man stood there with his traveling cloak wrapped around himself, the hood pulled over his head, his long-bow, sword and backpack all strapped to his back and the rodent perched on his shoulder. "Let's go!"

"W- what?"

"Are you deaf?" Ash asked with a frown as he offered the captain a hand. "You've offered me a job, and I'm looking for one at the moment anyway... can the situation be any clearer?"

"N... no..." The blond woman shook her head as she accepted the mercenary's hand and got pulled herself up. "But my soldiers..."

"They'll come around in a few hours or so." Ash waved away her worries dismissively. "But I don't have the patience to wait... let's go, now."

"Alright..." Cynthia hesitated, she then picked up her sword, but when she was about to pick up her shield she heard the young man's voice.

"Don't bother with that... it's too heavy, and you don't have the aptitude for it." She looked at him strangely. "Get a smaller one, and use a spear or a lance! You're not a swordsman!"

"Why, you-" She stopped herself as she remembered her mission, she only bowed her head towards the young man. "Alright, let's go."

"After you..." Ash smirked and motioned towards the door; the captain only ignored him as she walked past him.

* * *

"So... what's your story?" Ash asked after a while, Hearthome City was but a small speck in the horizon.

"What do you mean?" Cynthia, who still hadn't completely forgiven Ash for beating her, asked with a frown.

"Everybody has a story... why did you become captain of the army?"

"A family issue, nothing else."

"Your father was a soldier?"

"My father was a plunderer, he raped my mother, who got pregnant with me..." Cynthia growled at the young man. "Don't talk about him!"

"Don't worry, it's not in my interest in doing so." The mercenary spoke in a calm and uninterested tone as he sped up a little. "Let's go, I want to get there before nightfall."

"Why? Are you in a hurry?"

"No, but I think you should be..." Ash laughed at the captain's dumbfounded look as she remembered that this was a mission, not a friendly chat.

"Let's go!" She then started at a jog towards the castle, Ash followed her without any comment. "What's your story then?"

"Me?" Ash paused to think for a while before he calmly smiled once again and looked her straight in the eyes. "I'm just trying to survive..."

Cynthia shook her beautiful head at the young man's illogical answer. But she ignored him and continued to run, thankful to not have to carry that shield with her...

"That's a nice sword you got there," She said as she tried to make some small talk, panting slightly as she did so. "Where did you get it from?"

"I've had it since I was five..." Ash moved a little so she wouldn't be able to talk to him anymore, clearly offending the captain since she took the challenge to heart as she sped up to catch him.

* * *

They finally came to the gates of the castle some time around dusk. The guards started to shout as they saw their captain come running towards the castle with a complete stranger.

"Captain Cynthia!" A guard, who had a Grotle at his side, called out. "Why are you so late? The King expected you to be back a long time ago... and where are the others?"

"They were... held up..." The blond woman muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "Let me in, I have the man that the King is looking for!"

"Hello!" Ash's tone was filled with sarcasm as he waved towards one of the guards with a mock bow, clearly pissing him off. But the archer tried to ignore him as he turned to look in the other direction.

The gates slowly opened and revealed several heavily armed guards... all looking at the mercenary, Ash felt honored that they were taking him as such a great threat...

Cynthia walked into the courtyard and let the guards rush the young man and surround him... Ash felt his hand twitch towards his sword... but he managed to stop himself and followed the blond woman.

"Keep an eye on that mouse of his..." The two friends could hear one of the guards mutter.

"A Sword AND a bow? Who does he think he is?"

"Look at him, don't you recognize an outlaw when you see one?"

"If people like them enter our walls, we could probably just surrender to Hoenn and get it over with..."

The former Guardian sighed deeply and continued to follow the captain of the Sinnoh army. She walked past several houses, the occupants of which all came out to see the 'Famous Mercenary' walk past them... however, he didn't look as impressive with all the guards around him...

They soon came to the royal house of Sinnoh, and the number of guards around him only increased... Ash was starting to grow tired of this...

They could see the big wooden-doors open slowly and guess what... even MORE guards came out of them! The young man and the rodent were now being guarded by a small army...

"Tell them, that the subject is here."

'Subject'? Now, that was the last straw for Ash and Pikachu... They were about to open their mouths and speak their minds... however, just before they managed to do so, a man with pointy brown hair and lines as eyes, walked out of the castle, a relieved smile on his face.

"Welcome!" He greeted the mercenaries with open arms, but he didn't come within 3 meters of said persons... "The King and Queen are expecting you!"

"That's... nice..." Ash spoke slowly as he glared at the small army around him. "But tell them that I'm about to become rather... occupied... in a moment..."

"Oh, I see what you mean." Brock smiled knowingly as he looked at the guards. "Just put down your weapons and you'll be allowed to enter, without the Pikachu of course."

"'The Pikachu'...?" Ash got a dumbfounded look on his face... which soon went red with anger. "Let me give you another 'proposition'... I get to keep all my weapons and 'The Pikachu'... and you get to keep your life!"

The guards shouted upon hearing his threat and held their weapons against him... but Ash pulled out his long sword and Pikachu jumped down onto the ground, both prepared to fight to the end...

Cynthia bit her lip, she'd seen Ash's and Pikachu's strength... and they weren't even aiming to kill at the time! She didn't even want to imagine the possible losses that would happen...

"All of you, lower your weapons!" The guards and mercenaries looked dumbfounded at the blond woman. "Now! That's an order!"

Ash watched the guards and pokemon slowly lower their guards... now was the best time to strike, but he too lowered his weapon... although his gaze never left the guards...

"Now, I can tell that we have a problem here!" Ash now knew how Cynthia became a captain, her voice had such authority in it that only a brave soul or a poor fool would dare speak out against her. "Guards, you're dismissed! Harrison and I can take it from here!"

"But, captain-"

"That's an order!"

The guards only muttered and walked away, still suspicious about the young man and his pokemon...

"Mercenary..." She looked at Ash with a hard look. "I do this because I trust you; I trust that you won't attack us for no reason..."

"As long as I'm not feeling threatened, I won't do a thing." Ash looked the captain directly in the eyes. "You made a wise choice, the end of that encounter would've only resulted in death... but now, maybe most of us are going to live..."

"I think so, too." Cynthia nodded, then turned the royal advisor. "Brock, let's go... it's time to complete our mission."

"But, captain, I-"

"Brock, this was your idea, so I hope that you know what you're doing..."

"Yes... Cynthia..." Brock sighed; he then motioned for Ash to follow him.

Ash, Cynthia and Pikachu followed after Brock, who had to keep telling each guard that he passed that Ash wasn't a threat, when they saw him and said that said mercenary was armed... Ash could see several paintings on the walls of probably of royalties in the past. Most of them had blue hair, the men looked to be wise and the woman were beautiful... however, Ash had known for a long time that looks could be deceiving...

The door, which was guarded by two pokemon and two men, was slowly opened which allowed the trio and pokemon to enter the throne room of the Sinnoh castle. It reminded Ash of Kanto's throne room... one throne, for each member of the family, a table in the middle of the room and a long carpet stretching from the door to the thrones... Ash had a bad feeling about this...

"My King, my queen!" The man known as Brock declared loudly. "Let me present: Captain Cynthia and Ash, the Mercenary, along with Pikachu!"

"Come forth, Cynthia, Ash and Pikachu." Ash and Pikachu didn't know why... but they felt some kind of peace surround their bodies as they heard the voice of the queen. "You've had a long journey, now it's time for rest."

"Why is he still armed?" He could hear a male voice, probably the King's, as it was laced with suspicion... "I thought my orders were that he wouldn't be armed when he was brought before me!"

"He refused to follow us if he was separated from them, wise King." Cynthia bowed, slightly ashamed for her failure. "I felt that he could be trusted not to cause any trouble!"

"I understand..." King Cyrus nodded. "I trust your judgement, captain."

"Thank you, sire."

"Now..." He turned towards the young man, who had placed himself in a kneeling position, Ash didn't have any problems showing respect or obedience for such noble family. "Tell me, mercenary... what's your name?"

"It's Ash, King Cyrus." Ash talked towards the ground, although he could feel the King's aura become irritated.

"I know it's 'Ash'..." The King coughed slightly. "But what else? Everybody has a last name!"

"That's a name I haven't used in several years, King." Ash muttered, although they could hear him clearly. "If you don't mind... you won't have any use in knowing it... it will only cause confusion, and I have no attachment to it..."

"Very well, I can accept that." Cyrus nodded and continued to look at the mercenary. "I've heard of your achievements... they're impressive, very impressive..."

"Thank you, sire."

"But, I've one question..." His gaze narrowed on the top of Ash's head, since that was the only visible part on his head that he could see. "What would happen, if I were to hire you and I were to ask you to... I don't know... protect someone... and then you got a much higher offer for taking that person's life... what would you do then?"

"I would consider it as a threat to the one I am guarding and slay the being that would try to offer me the job, my King." Ash spoke truthfully, he had never abandoned a job, regardless of the offer.

"Very good." Cyrus nodded, but was still not convinced. "But how can I trust you to fulfill your duty?"

"You can't, my lord." Ash couldn't help but smile a bit from his bowing-position, although nobody else saw it. "But, at the same time, I can't trust that you'll fulfill your part of the promise... what's going to prevent you from killing me when I've completed the task? Our the words are the only thing that we have to convince each other of that fact."

"You are wise, Ash." The King smiled, he had finally decided what to do. "And, do you have any jobs now that you need to complete?"

"No, sire." Ash shook his head. "I just slew the witch of Solaceon Town... I've no other tasks at the moment..."

"And you never have more than one at the time?"

"No, my King."

"What do you think is the most important?" The King narrowed his eyes at Ash, this was the last question for him. "Love or your job?"

"I have no business in 'love', my King." Ash answered truthfully. "I only live for my job, since love has never helped me in my life..."

"Wise words, how young they may sound." King Cyrus looked at his wife, who didn't look too approving of the answer to the last question... "I think you're ready to know your task."

"I'm always ready, sire."

"Brock, go and get her!" Before Ash could even get the chance to ask who this 'her' was, things had already started to play out...

* * *

Princess Dawn Berlitz stormed through the halls, on her way to her father and mother to give them a piece of her mind...

"Ah, princess! I-"

"Not now, Brock!" She shouted as she pushed the advisor to the side and slammed the doors open.

There she stood, looking around in confusion. First she looked at the blond captain who stood there with arms crossed, then at her mother who had an apologetic look on her face, then at her father who seemed satisfied about something, and the finally at the kneeling young man dressed in shabby brown clothes, who had the gall to bring weapons into the royal hall! And a little rodent to boot!

"Dad! Mom!" She ignored the fact that they had visitors; she was not going to accept the rumors that she had heard. "Is it true? The servants tell me that I'm going to get a bodyguard!"

"That's true, Dawn." Cyrus smiled calmly at her, finally glad that he had the upper hand for once... "Your pranks have gone too far now! We need someone to look after you!"

Dawn was about to protest, when she heard the stranger speak up.

"You want me to babysit a child?" The owner of the voice demanded, still kneeling respectfully. "Can't you get a nanny to do that?"

"Hey! I'm NOT a child!" Dawn argued, even if she couldn't see the stranger's face, only his hair. "I'm seventeen years old! And I don't need a bodyguard! I can look after myself!"

"Dawn! I'm your father, so I order you to accept our decision!" Cyrus, who was ashamed of his daughter's outburst and quite miffed at the mercenary's too, shouted at her. "You're our only daughter, so we have to be protective of you!"

"Why not Cynthia then?" Dawn wanted to know as pointed towards her good friend, and captain of Sinnoh's armies. "Why can't she guard me? Why some stupid stranger?"

"'Stupid'?"

"Dawn! Be quiet!" Cyrus snapped at her, what in the world made her think it was alright to insult an armed man? "Cynthia has other duties! You'll be guarded by Ash!"

"No!" Dawn cried and stomped out of the hall, shutting the doors after herself with a loud bang.

There was a complete silence, the children of Sinnoh ashamed of their princess... until Ash asked the same question once again.

"'Stupid'?"

"I'm sorry about that, mercenary..." Cyrus sighed and tried to smile. "She's young... I'm sure that she'll accept you!"

"My King..." Now it was Ash's turn to sigh as he lifted his head. "I'm a warrior and a guardian... What purpose would I have babysitting your child? Any man, or woman, could do that!"

"Really...?" Cyrus smirked challengingly at the young man. "I don't think it'll be quite so easy... you're actually our only hope! So, please, just tell me the price!"

"We can discuss that in a week's time..." Ash said as he pondered for a moment. "I can't gauge the difficulty of this task yet, therefore I can't give you a quote."

"Alright, then." Cyrus nodded his understanding as he eyed his wife, who had been awfully quiet. "But, I have to warn you, she'll not accept you so easily... and she'll probably do everything in her power to make a fool out of you or scare you away."

"My King..." Ash smiled calmly as he looked at the old and wise man in front of him. "I've killed over a hundred men, at least fifteen witches, protected families in wars and have been to some of the most dangerous places in the four regions... don't you think I'll be able to look after a child?"

"We'll see, mercenary..." Cyrus said as he looked at him with a smirk. "We'll see..."

**End of chapter 7**

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**Get it? Brock usually gives Ash advice, so he's an advisor! **

**Alright, I hope that the chapter was to your liking. Some of you are maybe sad that Sabrina died... but, at the same time, I couldn't figure out any other way for her...**

**So, it seems like Ash and Pikachu are going to be working as Dawn's bodyguards for a while... bet you didn't expect that!**

**New quiz: Who was the first being to be introduced in this story(checking for it is cheating!)?**

**It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

**R&R!  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! I'm sorry that this chapter's a little shorter than the usual... I've no real explanation for it, just that I wanted to finish this chapter as quick as possible.**

**For the right answer(if you haven't already checked it): It's "Pidgey"... but you could also had been correct if you'd said "Sabrina", since she was the first human that was shown.**

**Now, I've got some complaints about the killing in the story... well, I can at least say that the main-characters won't die for a while... but I'm not saying anything about the other characters...**

**I'd like to thank "Justicez" for correcting this(and the rest) of the chapters! Especially since he's really busy with school and such other things.**

**Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!  
**

* * *

The girl with brown, short hair around 17 years old sighed. She had just finished folding the last of the princess's newly washed clothes.

She had served the royal family of Sinnoh her whole life, her mother was a nanny for Dawn Berlitz, and the two young girls grew up to be best friends. Of course they had their differences sometimes, but they would always be best friends, and she would never even dream of giving up her job to serve and look after the youngest member of the royal family!

Leona was in the princess's room now, and as she closed the princess's closet after placing the last of her clothes in there, she stretched her back and sighed softly. The princess had been rather troubled recently and she didn't get a chance to find out what was wrong before said princess ran off to confront her parents about something...

The door then slammed shut with such force that Leona shrieked before she turned around and came face to face with an annoyed princess.

"Princess!" She scolded her with her hands once again on her hips. "You can't just slam doors like that! That's no way for a lady to behave!"

"Not now, Leona!" Dawn cried out and threw herself onto the bed, brutally punching her pillow. "I am not in the mood for this!"

"What?" Leona had never heard Dawn talk with such venom before, causing her to walk up to the bedside. "Princess, what's the matter?"

"They're forcing me to have a bodyguard!" The blue haired princess exclaimed as she threw away her pillow in anger.

"That's not so bad, is it?"

"He's a man!" Dawn protested, her friend's eyes widened at those words. "He's smelly! Ugly! Has no manners! And is stupid!"

"What were they thinking?" Leona exclaimed. "How can they trust an old man to guard you?"

"That's another thing!" The princess shouted in fury. "He's not even old! He's around our age, and yet still has the nerve to call me a kid!"

"There, there..." Leona whispered to her friend comfortingly. "I'm not gonna let him come near you, I'll find a way to make him leave!"

"Please...?" Dawn whimpered sadly as she looked at her best friend with tearful eyes. "Please, make him leave."

* * *

"'It's going to be the hardest job you've ever had'..." Ash muttered the king's word once again, more to himself than to Pikachu who was perched on his shoulder, as they were walking down the hall towards the princess's room. "Who's he to question our strength, Pikachu?"

"Pika pikachu pi-pi chu!" The rodent declared while gesturing with his tiny paws. "Pikachu, pi ka ka chu!"

"Well, how hard could it be?" Ash smirked as he looked at his companion. "We're going to stay in a big castle, will get everything we ask for, and the only thing we need to do is to prevent a kid from running away from home!"

"Pika!" The rodent cheered as he agreed with his friend... however, Pikachu still had some inkling that this wouldn't be as easy as they thought it would...

Ash could see the princess's room draw closer, which wasn't at all hard to distinguish as two guards stood outside it. The two guards upon seeing him approach the door, saluted him and walked away. The news about 'Ash, the mercenary' being the princess of Sinnoh's bodyguard seemed to have been spreading around... Those two soldiers now left the guarding of the princess to him and silently wished him luck with his latest assignment.

He was just about to enter the room... when a pretty girl with short brown hair came out of it and eyed him suspiciously although he could also pick up on the girl's hostility by her aura…

"Hold it!" Was all she said as she held up her hand in front of him, causing him to stop mid-step and narrow his gaze on her. "What's your business here?"

"I'm here to guard the princess, with my life if need be." The young man declared calmly as he continued to eye the girl. "May I ask for your name, my lady?"

The girl couldn't actually help but blush at his words, but then she quickly shook herself with a determined look on her face as she eyed him. She could say right away that he wasn't all that handsome... but he definitely had the hardened eyes that one would expect to see on any hero or brave warrior, and that was very attractive for many girls... and he was looking like the kind of man who would give his life for the girl he loved, and that too was a plus for him.

The young man in front of her had a strict face, which was radiating suspicion, but also had some hint of kindness, he had mid-length raven hair that was poking out in every direction.

He was wearing some torn brown clothes and on his back were a bow, a sword and a black traveling sack. The mercenary was also probably a half head taller than both Dawn and Leona, he was a man Leona would've taken her chances on... but the sad voice of her friend still rang in her head.

"I don't know what you think you're doing." She suddenly snapped out from her thoughts and narrowed her gaze into the young man once again. "You think you can come in here and look after the princess while you're dressed like a drifter, and smell like one too?"

"Since when did clothes and smells have anything to do with the protection of a human life?" Ash growled along with the rodent. "What's your name, my lady? Or should I take your presence here as a threat to the princess and slay you on the spot?"

"You don't have the guts!" She quickly regretted her words as she saw the young man's hand move up towards his sword. "Alright! My name's Leona, chambermaid and friend of the princess!"

"A pleasure to meet you, lady Leona." Ash did a short bow, his hand still half way towards his sword. "Could you please step aside, I want to have a good look at the castle and the object that I'm going to guard."

Even if Ash didn't meant anything bad with his words, Leona clearly misunderstood them and got a furious look on her face, and then an idea.

"Please, Mr. Mercenary!" She exclaimed as she gestured with her arms."You must understand that I can't let you in to see the princess while you look and smell like that!"

"No?" Ash asked with a very deep frown, Pikachu was also eying the girl. "What do you reckon then?"

"You need new clothes..." She hesitated, then a broad smile appeared on her face. "And a bath!"

* * *

"What... in... Hoenn... do you think you're doing?" Ash demanded to know as he glared at the blushing girl in front of him.

"You stink, and you've the clothes of a hobo!" She declared and continued to try and remove his equipment. "You need a bath!"

"And you're going to watch?" Ash asked with a raised eyebrow, clearly deepening the girl's blush.

"W-Well... I..." She needed to figure something out, quick. "Someone needs to scrub your back!"

"Yeah, and we already know who..." The mercenary pushed her out from the scrub-room. "Pikachu!" He then closed the door with a bang after her, and locked it from inside.

"Darn it!" Leona cursed as she kicked the door, her plan ruined. "It didn't work, princess."

"Come on, Leona!" Dawn, who had been following them from behind, poked her head out of the corner and smiled sadly. "It's far from over! He can't foresee the future!"

"You're right, princess!" Leona smiled at the possibility of making a fool of the brutal young man in a different way. "I think I've an idea! Quick, let's go!"

* * *

Ash sighed deeply as he lowered himself down into the warm water, it had been a long time since he had taken a bath, several years actually... the long sword was still strapped to his back, his former friend's and teacher's words still echoing in his head...

"_Whatever you do... NEVER lay down your weapon, sleep with it, eat with it, die with it..._"

The young man sighed again. Was this really the life Riley would've wanted him to live? What anyone had wanted him to live? He was ashamed, not for what he had done the past years, but that he had let everyone down and fled like a coward... that's why he didn't fear death, he welcomed it...

"You think they'll leave soon, Pikachu?" The young man asked his partner after a while, who stood with his ear pressed to the door.

"Pi." The rodent shook his head with a troubled smile. "Chu, Pika pi pi pikachu!"

"So it may seem..." Ash seemed to think for a moment. "But that doesn't explain why she's so hateful against me... if she was truly her friend, she'd see that I was only here to protect the kid..."

"Pikachu! Pika pi-pi!"

"I know she's only a year younger than me." Ash argued back, an irritated look on his face as he continued to wash himself. "But she's a child mentally, she still believes in fairies and tales with a happy ending! I'm certain that she's never done any hard work in her whole life!"

Unfortunately for the mercenary, the two girls stood outside the door and heard every word that he had been saying, and they were not happy, they started to brainstorm ideas on how to make the mercenary even more humiliated than he already was...

"Alright, I'm done now..." Ash muttered and signaled to Pikachu. "Tell that girl to bring in the new clothes, if not I'm not going to use my old ones again..."

"Pika." The rodent nodded and somehow unlocked the door, and then jumped outside and spoke with the young woman, although she had no idea what he was saying.

Leona then poked her head discretely inside the room and blushed slightly as she saw the naked young man, however, only his head was visible as the rest of his body was still submerged in the bath.

"Right, let me take your clothes and wash them, I'll be back soon!" She spoke quickly as she gathered up his clothes and then she near ran out of the room, leaving a dumbfounded Ash and Pikachu in her wake.

They sat there for a moment... then Ash started to smile slightly as he looked at the closed door.

"She's not coming back, Pikachu."

"Pi?"

"She's planning on making a fool out of me, as I now need to go through the castle in order to hunt for clothes... naked..."

"PIKA?" The rodent shouted out, then his cheeks started to sparkle as he growled at the door, planning on getting back at that girl...

"No, Pikachu." Ash shook his head as a dark look fell over his face. "We're not going to do anything back... it's our duty to protect, not destroy..."

"Pikachu! Pika pika chu!" The rodent declared bravely as he prepared to run out of the bathroom.

"No." Ash shook his head once again as he looked at his friend. "They're waiting for you to try and get clothes for me... I'm sure that they'll have some kind of trap made for you... let me handle this."

* * *

"How long do you think he'll stay in there?" Leona curiously asked her friend as they poked their heads out from a corner, waiting for the very embarrassed boy to come out. "He must've figured out that I'm not coming back!"

"Well, I'm sure that he has more muscles than brains, Leona." Dawn giggled at the thought. "I've heard about such people, only caring about strength and couldn't even see justice if it so hit them in the face! If he somehow sees himself in a tight situation, he'll start running away like a coward!"

"I think you're right, princess." Leona nodded knowingly. "He didn't seem like the sharpest guy I've met! I'm sure that he would have trouble even leaving the bath!"

The two girls started to laugh loudly, although they stopped when they saw a Pikachu walk past them. It wouldn't have been so confusing, if he had only walked OUT of the bathroom door, not coming from a completely different direction!

"What? How? When?" Leona only babbled as she watched the yellow mouse walk past them, then it turned its little head towards them and blew a raspberry... "Hey!"

The two girls then darted into the bath-room, not caring what they would face, only to find it... empty?

"How...?"

"Look!"

They looked at the wet marks on the floor, then how they somehow went to the wall, and out of the door... but that was impossible! They'd guarded the door the whole time! It was impossible for him to have just walked out the door!

The two girls continued to follow the wet footsteps as it passed several doors, even some that were guarded, along multiple corridors... all the way to the armory.

They opened the door slowly, and jumped slightly as the little rodent sprinted between their legs and into the room.

"A very clever trick... if only it had work..." They could hear the voice speaking to them, causing them gulp and walk into the room. "But you've a lot to learn, sometimes just listening isn't enough... you need your sight just as much as you need your hearing."

"How did you-..." Dawn didn't speak as they saw the young man in a new light.

He wasn't dressed in his shabby brown clothes anymore. He was wearing a white shirt, and over that a light silver-armor, he was also wearing some black baggy pants, some silver kneepads and a pair of black shoes. That was all followed up by some black fingerless gloves and a brown belt where he had hung his quiver. His sword was now strapped to his back and his bow slung across his body. To complete his look, he wore a black hooded cloak over his outfit... he now looked like a true warrior and hero.

"We... we..." Dawn stuttered, as she was at a lost for words.

"There's no need for words, princess." Ash did a short bow at the girl. "You're still a child, and you still think like one... just remember that it's my job to protect you."

"Hey! I'm not a kid!" Dawn argued back. "Just because you're some kind of mercenary doesn't mean that you can go and boss me around! I'm the princess of Sinnoh, and you should treat me like one!"

"Alright then... princess..." Ash growled, he too was also enraged. "Let me tell you something: If it hadn't been for your father's pay, I would've left right this instant! You're a spoiled brat, you think the world revolves around you, you think you know the world! You might have lived in a dream, a dream where you could go anywhere... well, that dream's gone now! You're not even leaving a room without my notice! I'll follow you like a Pidgeot follows its prey, I'll not let you out of my sight, I'll not let you go ANYWHERE without my notice."

"You can't boss me around!" Dawn screamed back to him. "My father hired you, that means that you need to obey me too!"

"Good try, princess." Ash smirked with his arms crossed, the rodent now on his shoulder. "But that's not going to work! Your days of freedom are over... your days of reality, have begun."

"Gah! You're SO stupid!" The blue haired royalty screamed at him before running off, leaving her friend both confused and dumbfounded.

"I don't appreciate your jokes, lady Leona." His words made the girl snap out from her trance. "If you even think of doing that again: I'll consider it as a threat towards the princess, and I'll either send you to jail, or kill you on the spot."

"You're really going to protect princess Dawn, aren't you?" Leona smiled, relieved, it finally seemed that she could trust the young mercenary.

"With my life." The raven haired man repeated as a hard look fell over his face. "Now, leave, I've things that needs to be done."

"Alright..." Leona paused, a slight blush on her face. "Ash..."

"Hmm..." The young man only grunted, his arms still crossed, as he watched the young woman skip out of the armory. "I think she's on our side now, Pikachu..."

"Pika pikachu! Pi pi pika!" The rodent chirped happily, he then rubbed its little head against Ash's.

"That's good, buddy." The mercenary chuckled and scratched him between his ears, earning a cooing sound. "But we need to go now... the princess has already left the castle..."

"Pi?"

* * *

The beautiful girl with silken blue hair smiled to herself. Since the word about her new bodyguard had been spread around the castle, the guards had stopped being so watchful over her... allowing her to escape from the castle rather easily. She had even taken two of her favorite pokemon with her, a blue penguin and brown rabbit with fluffy wool-pants.

She went on a circuit around the market, happy that nobody took notice of her. She then sneaked past the half-sleeping guards at the gate of the inner wall. Then past some houses that 'half-nobles' lived in, children were heard screaming from them. Then she climbed over the gate of the central wall, without any further problems. Now came the hardest part, and probably the scariest as well. In the outer reaches of the town, very poor people lived there, and black markets were everywhere and the alleys were filled with people of ill repute.

But she still managed to sneak through the area without drawing too much attention... and then she practically walked straight out of the main gates on the outer wall.

"Alright, guys!" She cheered along with Piplup and Buneary. "We're finally out! No more sneaking around! No more forced marriages! No more events! No more people who won't leave us alone!"

"Pip Piplup!" The blue penguin cheered, even if he didn't really know what he was cheering for...

"Bunear Buneary!" The rabbit had started to jump up and down, she was just as excited as her mistress was.

"Right!..." Dawn paused, even stomping slightly with her foot onto the ground. "When does the food come...?"

"Piplup..."

* * *

"Are you sure about this information?" A tall, shady looking character with very broad shoulders and brown-black hair asked with a frown. "Last time went rather... unpleasantly…"

"I'm sure, boss!" The nervous man, whom had white hair and a slightly feminine face and was wearing a brown shirt and some green pants, almost stuttered as he spoke. "It's one hundred percent true! I saw her myself as she ran out of the castle! She's somewhere out in the woods now!"

"If you say so..." The dark man, who went by the name of Scott, muttered as he stroked his chin which had a coarse stubble on it. "Gather the boys, it's time for work."

But the nervous man, Rick, didn't need to go call them as everyone was already in the room, prepared to do whatever they could for their leader and boss.

"Alright, men!" Scott cleared his throat as he spat some kind of black gunk onto the ground... "This is the time that we've been waiting for! The princess is out of the castle, unprotected, and if we take her we'll be able to get an immeasurable sum of money from her family!"

"Boss?" The self-proclaimed leader looked at one of his subordinates.

"What?"

"Are we going to take her dead or alive?"

The boss paused to think about it... then a wide and twisted smile appeared on his face.

"They'll pay us more if she's alive..." He then chuckled darkly. "Although... I'm sure that they'll pay for her corpse too... kill her if she resists too much!"

The unshaved and ill-looking men nodded and barged out of the small and warm house, armed with whatever they could find.

* * *

The princess skipped happily in the forest, ignoring the slight feeling of hunger that was echoing in her stomach. She was free now, she didn't need to be so formal to people she barely knew, she didn't need to meet all the suitors who came around, she didn't even need to have some kind of stupid bodyguard at her back all the time!

She was so deep into her thoughts that she didn't notice the fifteen men that were hidden behind a large bush, the tall shadows from the trees around them also helping to conceal them.

* * *

"She seems like a feisty one, boss..." One of Scott's most trusted men spoke slowly as he watched the girl skip around. "I doubt she'll come with us willingly..."

"Then we just need to make her do so." Scott chuckled darkly as he called for three men. "Shoot her in the leg, Steve, and you two take down her pokemon... got it? Good, prepare to fire on my command."

The three men smirked as they pulled out their bows and they each put a greasy arrow on them. They were tensing their bows while tracking their targets, prepared to fire... Although they never got the chance to do so, since three arrows came flying through air and pierced the men's throats... A really masterful-shot considering the arrows appeared to have been fired simultaneously.

"What?" The boss hissed as he saw his three men groan and collapse onto the ground. "What happened?"

"I think someone's watching us, boss..." Rick shivered when he said those words, not wanting to die just yet. "I think we need to give up."

"Never!" Scott whispered harshly, causing his men to jump a bit. "Keep your eyes open, and take that person down when you see him!"

* * *

"They're not giving up, Pikachu..." The mercenary in shining armor spoke slowly as he watched the mass of greasy men from the top of the tree, the one just across of them,. "But at least we kept their attention off the princess..."

"Pika? Pikachu pi pi?" The little rodent whispered, confused, as he eyed the half-dancing girl in the clearing and her pokemon.

"I don't know..." Ash shook his head, annoyed. "That naïve child must be in her own little world... I doubt she'll even notice us if we screamed at her..."

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out, causing Ash to look down towards the brush again. The bandits were preparing to attack again...

"Alright, they haven't had enough yet..." Ash muttered and tensed two arrows on his long bow, he let them go and they both hit their targets... and the world was now two men shorter... "Why can't they understand that it's a lost cause?"

"Chu, pikachu pi-pi, PikaPi!" The rodent declared, its cheeks sparking.

"No, Pikachu." Ash sent him a half-apologetic smile. "If you attack, you'd probably gain the princess's attention and scare her away... I need to do this on my own."

He then saw that the men, the ten of them that were left, had drawn their swords and mallets and were prepared to charge the princess, hopefully forcing the hidden man out by doing so...

"Guess it's all, or nothing, then..." Ash muttered as he drew his sword and leapt off the tree.

He landed onto the ground with barely noiselessly, clearly surprising the men a great deal as they saw the figure in a black cloak, with his hood pulled over his head, appear in their midst. The man closest to him was about to say something, but a quick sweeping motion by the unknown person, made him unable to say anything as he grasped his stomach and sunk down onto the ground.

"Get him!" Scott hissed as he threw a tomahawk at him, Ash caught it with ease and then threw it towards another man so it hit him hard in the head and sent him to the afterlife.

Eight men remained, but they were brave men and refused to give up or flee from some punk who thought that he could stop them.

A silent fight was being waged, neither sides wanted to make a sound for fear of the possibility of scaring the princess away.

Ash easily dodged two men's rather clumsy sweeps with their weapons, and then counter-attacked and made them lose their ability to move... forever...

The six men left looked at each other, feeling rather insecure, while the hooded figure only stood there with his eyes close and waited for them to make the next move.

"Attack, you cowards!" Scott whispered harshly at them, making them rally whatever courage they had and attacked the mysterious man at the same time, only to make the person in question take a leap towards them and neatly pierced one of them in the heart.

"Rah!" Ash frowned at the attempt from one of the men to intimidate him, but he only shrugged as he took up a rock from the ground and threw it in the man's face, causing him to be knocked out cold.

Scott shook his head, he couldn't believe this! How could a kid, who from his stature seemed to be only around 18 years old, defeat eleven of his men? This didn't make sense. He had only heard of Aura Guardians and Dark Auras being able to do such a feat, and that man didn't look like either of them... although, he had heard of one more that could do it...

"M- Mercenary...?" His voice was filled with terror and fear, he knew the stories about 'Ash, the mercenary'. "We- we're on the same side! What do you say that we split the ransom for the princess, fifty-fifty?"

"You're threatening the princess by offering me such things..." Ash muttered as he threw his sword towards one of the men besides Scott, piercing the man's heart. "Leave, now."

"You shouldn't have done that, mercenary..." Scott smirked as he saw his dead comrade. "Every warrior knows that you can't fight properly without a sword!"

"Seems like you've forgotten the full saying..." Ash chuckled, his voice filled with humor, then his eyes darkened. "It only applies if his opponents are warriors too..."

"You little-" The boss's lungs emptied when he felt Ash's foot smash into them. He knelt down and coughed heavily. Panic starting to rise in his body as he saw the young man easily take down yet another of his men with only his bare hands! Leaving only Scott and Rick alive…

"You disgust me..." Scott looked, with trembling eyes, up towards the hooded figure. "You think you're so strong when you're with your gang... but as soon as you are without it, then you start begging for mercy..."

"Please..." He gulped and held up his hands towards the man. "Don't do this... I can pay you!"

"So can I..." Ash muttered and with a quick sweeping motion with his sword, causing the older man's head to part company with his body and fall to the ground with a soft 'thud'...

The young mercenary then looked towards the last man, who was looking like he was about to wet his pants.

"Don't think you'll escape your destiny so easily, bandit." Ash narrowed his gaze on him and slowly walked towards him...

* * *

"Oh, man..." The beautiful princess sighed and sat down on the ground, not feeling like celebrating anymore. "I'm SO hungry! When's the food going to get here?"

"Pip-lup! Pip pip lup!" The blue penguin explained smartly, causing Dawn to arch an eyebrow.

"What do you mean with 'You're not getting any'?" She almost felt like screaming as she spoke those words. "I'm the princess! Of course somebody needs to serve me food! And I want a bath now!"

"Piplup..." The penguin only face-palmed and sighed.

"Did you guys hear that...?" Dawn almost whispered, she could swear that she had heard something coming from that bush... "Hello...? Is someone there...?"

She slowly walked towards the bush... she was about five meters from it when it happened.

"Aaah!" Dawn cried out in fright and terror as she saw a greasy-looking man with white hair come running out from behind it... the only thing strange is that he too seemed to be equally scared... "Who are you?"

"Out of my way!" The man roared with a trembling voice as he swung his wooden-club in front of himself as he ran towards Dawn.

That caused her two pokemon spring into action, the penguin fired several blue bubbles towards him, causing the man stop in his tracks, stunned. As he stood bewildered and his whole body was paralyzed, he was struck by a brown rabbit's foot... causing him stumble back.

"Gah!" The man screamed as he was tackled from behind, his head hitting a stone and knocking him out cold.

"Greetings, princess..." The young mercenary in front of her panted, with a slight smile on his face. "I told you not to leave the castle."

"Ash..." She spoke softly as she walked up to him, only to start hitting him on the head. "Where the HELL have you been!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, princess!" The young man said as he tried to calm her while he held her arms, preventing her from hitting him. "I was... busy... besides, didn't you say that you didn't need someone to look after you?"

"That was BEFORE a man tried to kill me!" She screeched at him. "I could've died! And you were 'busy'? With what!"

"Eeh..." Ash didn't really wanted to tell her about the fourteen dead men behind the bush. "Nothing important really, just... business..."

"Well, that's what I thought!" Dawn hadn't calmed down the least and continued to scream at him. "You've been taking it easy, not caring if I could've died or not!"

"Please, Ho-Oh..." Ash muttered to himself. "Finish me now!"

"And what're those stains on your clothes!" Ash looked down and gulped as he saw the red liquid dripping from his armor and pants.

"It's..." He needed to think of something quick! "... jam...?"

"Oh, so you were EATING while I had to fight for my life!" The princess demanded to know, furious at her guardian. "Just WAIT until daddy finds out about THIS!"

"Yeah, he'll be thrilled to know that you left the castle... again..." Ash smirked at the enraged princess. "I think it would be better if you didn't mention this, to anyone."

"You are the WORST bodyguard, EVER!" Dawn screamed at the poor mercenary, making his ears hurt. "I hate you!"

"Good to know, princess." Ash nodded, then he could feel his pokemon's aura come towards him, and then jump onto his shoulder. "Hi, Pikachu, all good?"

"Pika!" The rodent nodded happily, while eying the two unknown pokemon curiously, then shrugged and continued to talk with his partner.

However, that was a very stupid thing to do. Since the blue penguin, who you could technically say was a royal, didn't take too kindly to be ignored by a simple soldier.

Piplup started to shout furiously at the rodent, who still continued to ignore him. And just when the penguin was about to launch a BubbleBeam, that would probably had caused Pikachu to kill him, he was interrupted by a brown rabbit's delightful cry and her subsequent jump towards the poor rodent, knocking him down...

"What the...?" Ash could only look as Pikachu tried to fend off the rabbit in the least violent way possible. "Princess, tell your rabbit to stop troubling my friend!"

"Buneary, stop that!" Dawn, who had to take a break from her screaming at Ash, said to the rabbit. "Don't befriend his friends! They are equally stupid!"

"And there she goes with the 'stupid'-thing again, Pikachu..." Ash sighed as he looked at the steamed girl. "What have I done to you, really?"

"You think you can come here and tell me what to do!" Dawn had started to scream once again, causing Ash to wince slightly. "Let me tell you something, mister! I'm a PRINCESS! I can do what I WANT, WHEN I WANT! And you can't stop ME! Got it?"

"You want to go home now, princess?" Ash stretched out a hand towards the castle. "You have two choices... either you go under your own power… or I'll carry you there."

"You have NO authority to lay a hand on me!" The beautiful princess screamed at him. "Just wait until my dad hears about this!"

"Sure, princess..." Ash muttered, mostly to himself. "Let's go, now."

"And why do you always call me princess?" Dawn demanded to know. "I've heard you call my mother 'Lady Johanna'! Why not call me Lady Dawn?"

"Because you're no lady, princess..." Ash growled, how could he possibly continue doing this? "Let's go."

"What's that smell?" The princess more stated than asked as they passed a bush. "It smells awful!"

"Nothing, princess..." Ash groaned. "Nothing at all..."

**End of chapter 8**

**

* * *

**

**You might dislike Dawn's personality for now... but do remember that she's a royal princess and has been getting pretty much everything she asked for. **

**Now, I've another quiz for you... a riddle actually...:**

**_It's a hole that's not a hole_  
_It's a wall that's not a wall_  
_It's a hole for the sun, it's a wall for the wind_  
_What is it?_**

**Should I stop with them? Because, I've tons of other ones!**

**Anyway, it's time to wrap this up.**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next one!**

**R&R!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi, it's in the middle of the night up here... so excuse me if I keep it simple.**

**Here's the ninth chapter, I hope it'll be to your liking!**

**Oh, yeah... before I forget: The answer was a window; Very good to them who were able to guess it right!  
**

**Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!  
**

* * *

"Leave me alone!"

"Sorry, princess Dawn, but it's my duty to look after you."

"You're SO annoying!"

"So be it, princess."

"I hate you!"

"I know, princess..." Ash growled yet again, when was this going to end? Will she never accept her fate? "But I never abandon my duty."

It had continued in this manner for a week. Every time Dawn had had enough and tried to run away, Ash always managed to track her down easily, no matter how late it was in the night or early it was in the day... she couldn't escape from him.

"Can I AT LEAST get dressed, without you following me?" The princess arched an eyebrow at the mercenary. "Or do you need to watch me too?"

"Of course not, princess." Ash cleared his throat, a slight blush visible on his face at the image of the naked seventeen year old in his head. "I- I'll just wait outside..."

The young woman just huffed at him, turning around with her arms crossed.

* * *

Ash let out a very long and drawn out sigh as he leaned his back against the wall, almost sliding down from his weariness.

"Pikachu, how the hell is this possible?"

"Pika?"

"She's just a kid..." He pondered for a moment. "And yet she manages to escape the castle! There's just something special about her..."

"Pika? Pikachu pi-pika?" The rodent smiled mischievously at his partner, while he started making gestures that Ash didn't like one bit. "Pika-pikaaa!"

"I don't find it amusing to see you suggest that I have romantic feelings for the princess, Pikachu." Ash didn't laugh, nor blush, he only narrowed his gaze on the rodent. "I admit that she's very beautiful... but that's it and nothing more."

"Pikachu? Pika pi pi kaa?"

"No, even if I would've fallen for her..." The mercenary paused to think for only a few seconds as the rodent watching him eagerly. "... it's not in our duty to fall in love, it's neither our duty to talk about such things."

"Pika-chu..." The rodent more breathed out than spoke, causing a small smile to be visible on Ash's face.

"That's the royal life, for you." He chuckled lightly, then got a grim look on his face as he clenched his fist and knocked hard on the door. "Hey! How long will you take in there, really?"

"Shut up, dumb-face!" Ash sweat-dropped at the princess's new nickname for him, what had he done wrong? "Just because you don't care about your looks doesn't mean that others don't!"

"You're just spending your time in the castle anyway, princess..." The young man felt like bashing his head against the door, while the rodent stood there, snickering at him. "Oh, very mature, Pikachu."

"Pika!" The rodent actually cheered and jumped down from his friend's shoulder and started prancing around the hall. "Pika-pi-pi chu!"

"Yeah? I haven't seen you take care of your hygiene so well, either!" The mercenary shot back at his co-worker with a smirk. "Stop jumping around, we've a job to do... for the next 23 hours..." He added with a grim look on his face.

Then, suddenly the door swung opened and showed a very beautiful, young woman. Her blue hair hung down in waves up to her waist, she was wearing a floor-length yellow dress (a good thing, according to Ash, since it would be harder for her to run). Although... she seemed a little... chubbier... than usual... But the mercenary ignored that fact and instead looked at her with a hard look, clearly annoyed at the delay.

"Where to, princess?"

"I'm hungry, dumb-face." She stated and walked at a fast pace towards the dining-hall.

The mercenary sighed and looked at his partner, who shrugged, and then looked at the princess's best friend, who smiled as she carried the princess's orange mantle-train, before the young man followed her too.

* * *

The young man and his partner could only watch in hunger as the princess and Leona wolfed down the food in front of them. Ash had taken it as a habit to not eat anything directly from the table... but now he doubted if his self-imposed rule had been a good one, Pikachu seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"What are you planning on doing today, lady Dawn?" Leona asked in between her bites of her cooked Starly's wing. "I think your father wants to talk to you about some marriage-arrangements, later today."

Dawn didn't answer her as she shot the mercenary a hateful look.

"If it hadn't been for stupid here..." She swallowed her food, savouring its flavor. "I wouldn't have needed to talk about those arrangements! I would've been free as a Staravia!"

"Not likely, princess." The mercenary decided to defend himself verbally for once and cleared his throat. "I would say that you would've come to... a city? Before somebody recognized you, captured you and either demanded ransom for your life, or killed you on the spot."

"I was disguised!"

"Changing to another dress doesn't count as a disguise, princess..." The rodent sweat-dropped at the small argument between them, the princess seemed really hate his friend! And he still couldn't figure out why... "Even a village idiot would've recognized you, princess Dawn."

"Yeah, you recognized me!" She shot back with a satisfied smirk.

"Touché, princess..." The mercenary muttered. "Touché..."

Then a low rumble was heard and then you could hear a young man clear his throat, a faint shade of red on his face.

"Lady Dawn..." Leona started carefully, not wanting to look like she was taking sides. "I think Ash's hungry. Can't you allow him to eat something?"

"He doesn't deserve anything!"

"_Right, saving your life's not enough..._" The mercenary thought to himself, irritated, but instead he said "Don't worry, I'll manage."

"But you're the one who's supposed to protect the princess!" Leona stated stubbornly, as she looked at him with a weak smile. "You need to eat, if not you'll fall behind."

"Yeah, try this!" Dawn smiled and handed him a piece of bread and a glass of some liquid.

Ash was suspicious of the quick change in the princess's mood... but he and Pikachu were too hungry to think of such things. They took the offered food and ate it quickly, in case the princess would make a run for it while they were eating...

But she only sat there, a broad smile on her face, as she watched them eat while Leona eyed her suspiciously with a frown on her face.

"You liked it... dumb-face?" Dawn giggled as she saw the two mercenaries' blank looks.

"What...?" Ash shook his head, he could hear Pikachu collapse onto the floor right next to him. "What the-... what's happening?" He asked as his vision started to blur.

"I'm tired of you always bossing me around!" The princess's voice sounded like a faint to his ears. "You treat me as though I'm some kind of object that you have to guard! I'm a person! And I've a mind of my own!"

"You..." Ash stumbled forwards and tried to draw his sword, only to feel himself fumble in trying to grip the hilt, before feeling his hand go numb. "You..."

"Good night, dumb-face!" He could hear the very faint, yet happy, tone of the princess in the distance. He could feel some soft hands catching hold of him, but he couldn't figure out whose it was, the darkness was closing in on him... was this the end? He welcomed it, he had died in the line of duty...

* * *

"Princess!" Leona cried out frightfully as she held the lifeless body of the mercenary. "What have you done? You've killed him!"

"He's not dead, Leona." Dawn frowned at her friend, clearly disappointed with her. "You really think I would kill him? I only drugged him with some sleeping-herbs!"

"Oh, I see-..." Leona stopped herself from sighing in relief and continued to glare at the girl. "Why did you do that for? He's supposed to be looking after you!"

"But he was SO annoying!" The young woman with blue hair stated, feeling slightly troubled, she was just starting to realize what she had done. "He thought he could boss me around however he wanted to!"

"He was protecting you, lady Dawn!" Leona shot back, still trying to shake life into the sleeping mercenary, who had a very happy look on his face. "Your father hired him to make sure you didn't get hurt!"

"Oh, please." Dawn huffed, clearly offended by her friend's words. "I can look after myself! Piplup and Buneary can protect me!"

And as soon as she said those names, the two pokemon in question came running into the room, just like they'd been trained to do.

"Buneary?" The brown rabbit, dressed in wool-pants, questioned as she looked at the lifeless body of Pikachu. "Bun! Buneary!"

"He's only sleeping, Buneary." Leona sighed, still annoyed by the princess's action. "Princess Dawn drugged them with sleeping-herbs..."

"Pip? Piplup?" The penguin looked at his mistress, a slight frown on it's very round head. "Piplup, pip-pip lup!"

"Come on, guys!" Dawn tried to wave it off, even if she now understood what she'd done. "It was just a joke!"

"Princess! This was a very stupid thing to do!" Leona stated, taking the pokemons' side, Buneary had already started to try everything in her power to wake the little rodent up. "You can't just go around drugging people like that, lady Dawn!"

"Fine! If you're going to be like that!" The princess huffed with her arms crossed and began to stalk out of the room. "I want to be alone!"

"Where are you going, princess?"

"Away from you!"

The big door was the closed with a bang behind the princess, leaving Leona and the pokemon alone with the two drugged mercenaries.

"Oh, dear... oh, dear..." Leona mumbled and frantically looked around. "What am I gonna do... what am I gonna do...?"

* * *

Dawn was free, she wasn't going to be forced to do anything anymore, no more parents who were going to yell at her, no more punishments for disobeying someone's orders... she was free.

She sneaked around more carefully than before, making absolutely sure that nobody was going to notice her, not even a single Rattata.

She couldn't help but take a small leap of joy once she had gotten out of the city's walls. But then she paused to think as to where she should go.

She didn't dare to go through the forest again, not since that incident with the man who had come running towards her... but she had plenty of time to figure out where she should go, that herb she gave the mercenary would leave him out cold for several hours at least!

It was really hot today, the sun was high in the sky and gazed down harshly upon her, her silken blue hair was slightly sticking to her back and neck... she needed to cool herself off.

Then a thought struck the young woman, a faint memory of when she was a little child and her father had shown her a great lake, hidden from everyone else... or something like that. She couldn't remember the full story, but she remembered that he'd said that nobody was there, and she also remembered how beautiful the area had looked.

It was funny, Dawn could remember the directions to it, even if she had only been there when she was small. Twenty meters down the road, turn left, through the big bush, climb over a large rock, walk through some trees... then you were there!

She did all those things, and true to her words, there was a beautiful lake, waiting for the equally beautiful woman.

Princess Dawn breathed in the moist air and smiled, this was the life that she wanted. She didn't want to spend all her life rotting inside a castle, she wanted to be free, to be out, to spend time at this gorgeous lake!

She slowly walked towards the water and scouted her surroundings. A little sandy beach around it, the lake was about two kilometers in diameter and all around it, trees... a lot of trees. Not a person in sight and not even a calm wind was blowing.

The sun was really starting to heat her up as she lifted her long dress a little and stuck her toe in the water, it wasn't warm... but not too cold either, it was perfect. Why didn't she bring her bathing-suit? Why did she just have to put on an extra layer of clothes?

The princess sighed, maybe she shouldn't bathe, she didn't want to ruin her dress and-...

A thought struck her as she looked around quickly, she had a slightly embarrassed look on her face as she scouted her surroundings for any signs of life... but it was quiet, not even pokemon were moving about.

Dawn Berlitz thought it through one more time, should she really do this? What if someone came and saw her? No, she was a free person now; she could do what she wanted!

With a brave look she took off her clothes, except for her undergarments. A faint blush was now visible on her face as she quickly skipped down into the water and let out a light shout as she threw her whole body into the water.

She came up, taking a deep breath, enjoying the cooling effect the water had on her body and the sight of nature all around her. This was the life, no wonder why that Ash-guy seemed so grumpy all the time, she would too if she'd known what she had missed her whole life!

The young woman giggled slightly before she took a deep breath and dived into the great lake, it was crystal clear and she could keep her eyes completely open. She didn't know why, but she had always been very good at holding her breath, allowing her stay to underwater longer than everyone else.

She saw the bottom of the lake coming into her sight, a small amount of seaweed were swaying gently in the current, and the water-pokemon were... wait a minute...

Dawn frowned as she broke the surface, where were the pokemon, really? Even in the castle they were roaming free, they were supposed to be everywhere! So, why couldn't she at least see a Magikarp? Oh, well, it wasn't her problem anyway.

The princess of Sinnoh let out another small giggle as she dived again...

* * *

_A green field, a __rising sun and white beaches... that was what the young man was seeing in front of him, how he walked down the long road of life as he waited for the end of his journey... this was indeed the thing he had always been dreaming of._

_A woman's shout, he thought it sounded familiar. His eyes widened._

_A woman with brown flowing hair came running towards him, a very mature yet still beautiful face on her visage as it glistened in the sun, all the while beaming with smiles and happiness... all for him._

"_Mom...?" The young man heard himself ask as he too ran towards her, wanting to see who the beautiful woman in front of him was. "Is that you...?"_

"_Ash..." He could hear a soft voice, no, it wasn't his mother's... the voice belonged to a younger woman, a woman that he would guess would to be around his age._

"_Leaf...?" True to word__, the being in front of him transformed from a figure that reminded him of his mother to a more mature version of princess Leafiona of Kanto... also smiling at him with love._

_Ash laughed, he had missed his friends, and here he had been nervous for what they would think of him._

"_Leaf!" He cried out and ran faster across the green field, the grass lightly tickling his legs as he ran. "It's so good to see you!"_

"_Ash! I've missed you!" Leafiona laughed out loud in happiness as she took a giant leap towards the young man, wanting for him to catch her._

"_Ash...?"_

"_Ash!"_

"Hey, Ash! Wake up!" The brunette, Leona, shook him once again, hoping that he would wake up sooner. "Come on, don't do this to me!"

Her heart stopped as she could hear the young man, whose head was laying in her lap, groan and move slightly.

"Ash!" She cried out in delight and took his head in her hands and held it close to her face. "You're awake!"

"Lea-..." The man let out a disappointed sigh. "Oh, it's just you...- OUCH!"

"Jerk!" Leona snapped at him as she threw his head down onto the ground, causing him to wince and glare at her. "Oh, no, I'm SO sorry! I was just-"

"Where's Pikachu?" Ash, who had now come to his senses, interrupted her as he looked around. "Where?"

"He's... there..." The girl with brown hair sweat-dropped as she pointed towards a pile of old clothes and blankets...

Ash looked in that direction and his eyes widened at the sight.

There was a large pile of clothes there, but no Pikachu was in sight... but you could hear some snoring coming from the bottom of the pile... belonging to a certain rodent.

"By Ho-Oh..." Ash muttered as he watched the brown rabbit lift yet another pile of cloth onto the miniature-mountain. "What happened?"

"It seems like Buneary thought that Pikachu wanted to sleep..." Leona hesitated once more and cleared her throat a little. "So... she wanted to make him comfortable... I guess..."

"I see..." The mercenary was about to say something else, but he was interrupted by the brunette's scream.

"Lady Dawn!" She looked wildly at the man in front of her, actually making him slightly nervous. "You have to go after her, quick!"

"Why should I?" He frowned, clearly not wanting to do so. "She poisoned us!"

"It was only some sleeping-herbs!" Leona shot back.

"I still can't!"

"Why?"

"Pikachu's still knocked out cold, and we never go solo!"

"The princess's life could be in danger!"

"So?"

"It's your duty to watch over her!"

"It's impossible to watch over that kid!"

"She's not a kid! She's a year younger than you!"

"Still, she poisoned us!"

"It's your duty to protect her!"

"..."

Silence...

"Forgot about that..."

"Gah! The princess's right, you ARE stupid!" Leona bashed her head against the floor in annoyance, not caring if she got hurt or not, before she then turned her head towards the nervous looking mercenary. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

"Right, lady Leona!" Ash saluted and drew his bow... but he hesitated for a second before looking towards her. "When Pikachu wakes up... tell him to follow my scent."

"Will do." The lady with brown hair nodded.

The last thing she saw of the mercenary was his silhouette leaving the hall...

* * *

"Ah! This is THE life!" Dawn sighed happily to herself, not caring if she sounded crazy as she was talking to herself. "No idiots, no orders, no nagging! Only me and this lake!"

She continued to float around on her back for a while... but then she felt a small wave wash over her face, causing her to choke slightly.

"W- what?" She coughed and rubbed her eyes, still floating around in the lake. "Who's there...?"

A silhouette was then seen in the water... at first, she thought that it was only the shadow of a tree, but then she could see that it was too close to her to be a tree and that it had to be in the lake too... She then could see some that the silhouette was blue and yellow in color... and as it drew closer, its shape resembled a worm of some kind.

Her eyes widened as she saw the big beast in front of her, its mouth wide open and showing off its sharp teeth, its fin a darker blue that its serpent-like form...

"A... A..." She felt her whole body go numb as she saw the dangerous pokemon in front of her, the sort of pokemon who was drawn to chaos and destruction... "A... Gyarados!"

"RHOOAAAH!" Was the roar that the pokemon let loose, nearly deafening the princess, clearly angry and was really, really dangerous.

It came like a flash to Dawn's memory, why they hadn't bathed in the lake when she was young, why there were no people or pokemon near the lake... this was the lake of Gyarados, and she didn't take to kindly to intruders...

"I-... I-..." The princess didn't know what to say, she just stuttered and began to slowly move backwards. "I-... I'll leave... now..."

"RYHAAA!" The serpent wasn't about to let her do so. She had intruded on her lake, and Gyarados wouldn't let her escape so easily... "RHOOA!"

Dawn did the only thing that she could do, she started to scream at the top of her lungs as she tried to swim towards shore... even if she could swim pretty fast, the serpent was in its element.

The serpent got closer and closer ... and soon the pokemon would be upon her and her life would be ended... this wasn't what she had expected the life outside the castle to be like...

"Please!" Was the only sound she managed to get out as she was only five meters from the beach... "Please..."

But the water-serpent didn't obey the princess's words... in fact it just seemed to enrage her even more and started to swim faster towards the pleading girl, really wanting to kill the intruder.

"Princess! Duck!" The commanding tone made the princess of Sinnoh do as told, and as soon as she ducked, an arrow soared past her head and struck the serpent on the side of her mouth, causing it to roar in pain and anger. "Get out of here!"

Dawn looked up to see her savior... and there he stood, wooden-bow in his hand. He looked exactly like he was before, except that he wasn't wearing his silver-armor now, instead he was dressed in his cloak but he did have a blue and red plate-shield on his back.

She couldn't move, even if she felt the calming aura the young man was radiating, she still couldn't move. But then she could feel a pair of strong hands lifting her up from the water and drag her towards the beach, then almost throwing her down onto the ground as a hot flame sailed passed their heads.

"Run, princess!" Ash tried to shake life into the girl, but it was no use. She wasn't reacting, only looking at him with her eyes wide open. "Damn it!"

He then quickly drew his shield, which he had picked up from a soldier on his way out, to block the incoming Flamethrower from Gyarados.

"Leave, now!" He tried to reason with the beast "I don't want to kill you!"

"RHOAA!" However, Gyrados wasn't about to just let them go like that. He shouldn't have fired that arrow... the sea-monster only seemed more enraged than usual, using its tail to create a big wave was then sent crashing towards them.

"Shit!" Ash closed his eyes and covered the princess as he held up his shield and braced himself.

The force was incredible, it felt like his arm was going to break as a the force of the wave came crashing behind his shield... of course, some water managed to bypass the shield and splashed them, but it did nothing but soak them.

But the water seemed to have woken the princess from her shock. Dawn looked wildly around herself, having no idea what was happening.

"Ash!" She cried out his name and gripped his wet shirt, not caring if she was only wearing her undergarments. "What's happening?"

"Princess!" Ash was relieved that she was awake now, it would make his job much easier. "Take this!" He quickly removed his cloak and threw it to her. "Go and get help, now!"

"But, I-"

"GO!" He threw her out of the path of yet another flamethrower; the pokemon was starting to grow impatient. "Find Pikachu!"

The girl only nodded as she got up and started to run from the scene, hoping to bump into someone as soon as possible...

The mercenary got up on shaky legs, his clothes soaked with water, and his head lowered. Then he slowly lifted his head and glared at the overgrown worm. The Gyarados only roared at him.

"Do you know who I am...?" Ash spoke slowly, knowing that the pokemon had heard him.

The sea serpent only roared as she started to load up another Flamethrower yet again, a small fire-ball gathering in her mouth.

"I..." He lifted his shield, to cover himself from the attack. "... am your death!"

The serpent screeched as she sent out the giant ball of flame that was sent crashing down onto his shield and forcing him back... but the young man didn't give up, he lowered his shield as soon as the attack was over and glared at his opponent.

"My turn..."

He started to run very quickly towards the pokemon, even thought she was out in the water. He was still able to keep his speed in the water, even when the water had reached his waist.

He then took a great leap, throwing his shield away and instead drawing out his sword, and when he was close enough to the serpent, he swung it hard onto its head causing it to roar in absolute pain...

The mercenary smirked as he landed in the water, knowing that he had defeated his enemy... at least that's what he thought...

"What...?" Ash could only look confusedly as the pokemon arose from the water where it sunk a moment earlier, and started to glare at him yet again before letting out another fierce roar. "I forgot... a Gyarados's scale is as tough as metal..." He needed a new plan and fast...

The young man could see the sea-serpent charge up another Flamethrower, and he started to look frantically for his shield, but Mew knows where it was now...

"Gah!" Ash cried out in pain as the flame hit his arm, really hurting him, he would've probably lost it if it hadn't been for him being in the water.

Then, another flamethrower struck. But the pokemon was starting to grow tired of this game. She seemed to be rearing back to use a Bite attack, forcing Ash to use all his remaining strength to block the charge...

Then he felt a blow to the stomach caused by the beast's tail, causing him to fly up onto the beach, feeling winded.

"Damn..." Was the only thing that he could say.

* * *

"Poor Pikachu..." Leona sighed as she stroked the sleeping rodent's fur. "The princess went too far this time!"

She sighed, why didn't Dawn understand that sleeping-herbs would affect the rodent more, since he was so small?

Buneary had walked away, satisfied that she had done everything that she could for the yellow mouse as she couldn't find anymore blankets... and Piplup, well, he was probably marching around the castle and chirping commands at the guards... as usual...

"Pi... ka...?" The rodent's ears started to twitch, gaining Leona's attention immediately.

"Pikachu!" She squealed, happy for the mouse's recovery, and hugged the breath out of the poor being. "You're awake!"

"Pi-pi..." The little rodent tried to say as its face was turning blue. "Chaaa..."

"Oh, sorry!" Leona giggled, embarrassed for her childish behavior. "I was just worried about you."

"Pika, PikaPi?" The rodent asked suddenly and looked around the hall, no sign of him...

"I forgot!" The brunette shrieked, causing the rodent to clasp its paws over its ears. "Ash woke up an hour ago! He's looking for princess Dawn and-"

They could hear a big commotion outside the castle, the sound of several footsteps and shouts were heard, causing the girl and the yellow mouse to quickly get up and run towards the noise.

They passed through the oak front doors without any pause, the guards seemed to have left their posts, and that was true for most of the doors, until they saw it.

There it was, a big group of guards forming around a cloaked figure... but Leona thought the person seemed familiar somehow...

"Make way, for the princess of Sinnoh!" One of the highest ranking guards shouted to the crowd, causing everyone back away... apart from Leona who ran towards the ring. "Halt!"

"No, soldier, let her pass..." It was truly the voice of Dawn... but it seemed rather… soft. "She... she's a friend."

"Princess!" Leona only cried as she started to shake the blunette's body. "What's happening?"

"Pikachu?" The blue haired princess looked at the little rodent who was just behind Leona. "Ash is looking for you! Quick! You've got to help him!"

"Pika!" The rodent cried out, fearing that his friend had gotten in trouble without him. "Pikachu! Pi-pi chu, PikaPi!"

"Follow me!" Dawn nodded and was about to run back... only to be halted by several guards. "Let me pass! I order you!"

"And I order you to not let her through!" Dawn froze at the sound of her father and turned around... truly, there she could see the blue-haired man and woman walk down the stairs, along with Brock Harrison and captain Cynthia. "What in Arceus's way has happen? And what are you wearing?"

"Daddy!" Dawn cried and ran up to him. "Please! Hurry! Ash's in danger! I got attacked by a Gyarados and he saved me and he's-"

"A Gyarados?" The king shouted out loud, causing those around him to jump slightly. "What were you doing so far from home?"

"I'll explain everything, dad!" Tears had started to leak from the princess's eyes as she looked at her father, who still wasn't completely convinced. "But you need to help Ash, now!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Please, dad! He's at that secret lake you showed me when I was younger!"

King Cyrus didn't need to say anything. Since Cynthia, Brock, Pikachu and maybe ten guards started to run towards the place, who few knew about, with their weapons drawn.

* * *

"RAAH!" Ash tried to match the pokemon's roar with one of his own as they ran towards each other at great speeds. He had finally found his shield... although it was a great pain to hold it since he suspected his arm to be broken.

The two combatants clashed in a weapon-lock... or, it was more like Ash trying to keep the pokemon's mouth open with the help of his sword and shield while Gyarados tried to close it with all her might.

The mercenary then saw an opening... all he needed to do was to strike his sword between her scales where there was little protection... then he was sure that this beast would finally fall down dead!

He slowly removed his sword from the beast's mouth, all the while applying more force to his battered shield arm, and gathered some strength, preparing to finish off the monster...

But then he could hear a crunching noise, and feel an incredible pain in his arm as the shield slipped from the pokemon's teeth, with said teeth crashing towards him, causing him to throw himself out of the way... but it was too late...

"ARGH!" Ash cried out in pain as the Gyarados got a hold of his foot, it felt like she was just about to break every single bone in his leg, or even tear it apart!

"GAH!" She started to shake her head, making the pain even more unbearable... but he still refused to let go of his sword and did his best to strike her down. "Die, die, DIE!"

It was of no use... he felt as though he was some kind of toy being thrown back and forth, until he finally ended up on the beach... with his leg bleeding profusely .

"Come on!" He cried to his opponent, refusing to give up as he half-crawled towards the beast. "Bring it on!"

"RHAAA!" The Gyarados roared and came crashing down onto him with its great jaws...

Ash only watched his death come closer and closer with a brave look, feeling neither fear nor regret... but he didn't want it to end like this...

He mustered the last of his strength and pushed away on his good leg, almost flying towards the beast, as he then tightened his grip on his sword with his only good hand...

Gyarados was clearly taken by surprise from his action, since she didn't have time to close her mouth until the mercenary had flown into it. She thought she was safe for the moment... until she felt a burning sensation in her throat, and then she felt immense pain... he was cutting her apart from the inside!

She quickly summoned a WaterGun from the her body and shot him out, making him crash-land onto the sand... the sword still in his hand...

"Well..." The mercenary laughed, hurt and exhausted, as he laid on his back in the wet sand. "It was a good try..."

The pokemon wouldn't take any more chances... it was time to finish this!

Ash could only watch as the fire-ball was being summoned in the pokemon's mouth, growing larger and larger until it finally reached its peak...

"Bye..." Ash smirked sadly.

As soon as he said that, a yellow bolt was seen hurtling through the air, as it struck the unsuspecting serpent, causing it to roar in pain and agony until it crashed down onto the sand, right next to Ash.

"Ash!" The mercenary turned his head in a tired way towards the source of the sound and could see around ten people come running towards him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." He coughed, then groaned at the pain he felt. "This is child's-play..."

"Make him a stretcher!" The king's advisor commanded the soldiers as he and Cynthia ran up to him, Pikachu already standing there. "Alright, Ash... take it easy, you're going to make it."

"I know..." The mercenary muttered, the pain refusing to leave him.

The soldiers were done with the stretcher and came running towards him... although, they stopped and started to back away as they saw the large serpent groan and twitch slightly... Brock and Cynthia also jumped away.

"It's time to finish this..." Ash muttered and got up with a very painful expression on his face. "Ugh-... No, I'm alright, let me go."

Brock only nodded and slowly backed away again, looking as Ash limped towards the pokemon with Pikachu right at his heels...

Ash looked at the defeated Gyarados... he could feel the pokemon's aura, it felt fear and hate towards him... but he could also feel that it felt some kind of recognition, that it accepted her fate... and that was something Ash admired in an opponent.

"You fought good." Was the only thing he said as he lifted his sword and drove it between the scales of the pokemon, making it stop breathing and twitching, forever.

"Now..." He turned around towards the soldiers, who still watched the beast with wary eyes. "You said something about a stretcher..."

Then he collapsed...

* * *

"Make way!" Dawn's head was jerked up when she heard Cynthia's commanding shout, she quickly turned her attention away from her father's scolding and hurried towards the castle's window.

The entourage of Brock, Cynthia and the ten soldiers had made their way through the city, heading towards the castle at a fast phase.

"Dawn! Stop!" She ignored her father's voice and continued to run down the stairs, towards the castle's gate where she knew that they were coming through.

"Ash!" She cried out over and over, not wanting to even dare to think what had happened to her savior. "Ash!"

"Princess Dawn, no!" Brock tried in vain to stop her from running towards the soldiers, but the girl showed some incredible strength and managed to somehow throw away him and continue to run up to the middle of the ring... how she wished she hadn't done that...

Two soldiers were carrying the stretcher, both of them with grim looks on their faces. A young man was placed on the improvised mobile-bed that mostly consisted of some sticks and vines. His face was pale white, probably because of the loss of blood, he had cuts and wounds all over his body and blood dripped from his legs, arms and chest, down onto the floor. But his hand still gripped the long-sword, seeming like he refused to let it go, even on the brink of his death.

The yellow mouse-pokemon, Pikachu, sat on his side, cooing sadly at his friend's condition.

"Princess..." She could feel Leona's hand on her shoulder, causing her to quickly turn around and weep in her friend's embrace. "It's okay... he's going to make it, I'm sure of it."

"It was my fault, Leona!" Dawn sniffed and sobbed. It was no way for a princess to behave, but she didn't care. "It was all my fault! If I hadn't been so stupid and stubborn, if I had only stayed-"

"It's okay, princess." Leona repeated her previous words. "He was only doing his job, he protected you, he's a strong warrior... I am certain that he's going to survive!"

"Y-You... think...?" Dawn tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

Leona just smiled sadly at her friend, trying to show her that there was need whatsoever to worry. "I'm positive, lady Dawn."

The beautiful bluenette nodded... then she quickly darted towards the medical wing of the castle, leaving her best friend very confused.

"Lady Dawn!"

She ignored the cry, she only ran and ran, not caring if people gave her strange looks or tried to stop her.

Dawn smashed the door open with a great force and felt like she was going to faint... again...

Several doctors, pokemon and nurses were running around frantically, doing their best to save the mercenary that had risked his life for their princess.

The mercenary in question was lying on the table, groaning as they tried their best to mend and sew together his wounds and injuries without him losing too much blood. The rodent sat at his side, being awfully quiet and depressed as he watched his partner groan and twitch in pain.

"PikaPi..." The little mouse sniffed sadly as tears were starting to form in its little black eyes. "Chuu..."

That was too much for the girl with blue hair. She quickly sprung up and grabbed the mouse and started to hug the poor thing to death.

"I'm so sorry, Pikachu!" She cried and the mouse could feel the wetness of her tears on its little head. "I'm SO sorry! It's all my fault!"

"Pika..." The rodent neither denied or confirmed it, he was too used to crying women and depressing situations for him to lose his head like this and start to blame to blame whoever he could find. "Pi-Pi-chu."

"I-I... I..."

"Pr-princ-..." The girl's head snapped up as she heard the weak voice of her bodyguard, laying on the table as the surgeons put an end to their stitching on him. "-...ess..."

"Ash!" She cried out, now in relief, and ran up to the table where he was lay. "Ash! You're alive!"

"I am...?" He coughed hard, then groaned as he moved his body too much. "Damn..."

"Doctor, he's going to survive, right?" The blunette looked at the man in white with pleading eyes, along with Pikachu who sparked its small cheeks a little.

"It was close..." The man with gray hair smiled a bit, troubled. "But he's a real fighter... it will take time, but he's going to recover."

"That's great!/Pikachuu!" Was the collective cheer of the girl and pokemon as they heard the news, hope renewed in their hearts. "Ash! Did you hear-... Ash...?"

"He's resting, lady Dawn." The doctor smiled kindly towards the princess. "He's lost a lot of blood and is really weak right now. So, on doctor's order... will you please not try to run away during his recovery period? I doubt he would survive giving you chase..."

Even if the doctor was only joking, there was a slight tone of seriousness in his voice, a tone that Dawn understood and decided to obey.

"Don't worry, I won't." She smiled at the old man in front of her. Then she saw a middle-age woman cooling down Ash's forehead with a wet piece of cloth, causing her to walk up to the woman. "No, let me."

She sunk down next to the slightly older man and stroke the cloth softly against his forehead, smiling a bit to herself as a small blush was showing on her cheeks.

"Pikaaa..." The rodent was confused. How could that girl, the same girl who had poisoned them and declared that she hated them, now sit there and treat his friend with love and care? Humans... he would never understand them.

But, one thing was clear the rodent figured, and that was that the princess wouldn't leave his partner's side... and neither would Pikachu.

**End of chapter 9**

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* * *

**

**So, how did you like that?**

**I'm actually too tired to figure out a question or riddle... but let me do a little poll instead:  
What's your opinion about the small questions in the end of the chapter? Should I quit, or continue? What kind of questions do you think I should have?**

**Reviews which ONLY consist an answer on that question will be ignored.**

**Anyway, feels like it's time to wrap this up.**

**It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

**R&R!  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! I hope you've had a good holiday so far... because here's the next chapter!**

**And, for the little poll I had... I've come to the decision to continue with the riddles... but, only riddles about pokemon!(although, I'll skip them today)  
**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!  
**

* * *

"He's getting better."

"Better? He's never been stronger!"

Brock's eyes were widened with surprise, and pity, as he watched the specially hand-picked guards for the royal family charge towards the young man with their wooden-weapons.

The man with the raven black hair only stood there, calm as can be, as the men came closer and closer. But then, suddenly, he disappeared in a quick burst of speed and made two sweeping strikes with his wooden-staff, causing three guards to groan and kneel down onto the ground in pain.

"Come on, is that the best you've got?" Ash, who had been bed-ridden for several weeks, mocked his opponents as he pointed his staff towards them. "Now... who's next?"

Cynthia looked nervously at the few men she had left... it was clear that none of them wanted to face the young mercenary and bodyguard... but they needed to show their king and queen, who were watching them, that they were soldiers of Sinnoh, that they feared nothing!

"Flint!" A man with a red afro and a yellow leather vest, who was holding a wooden sword and shield, looked at his captain. "You go!"

"Yes, captain Cynthia!" Flint saluted and charged towards the, now smiling, man. "Take this!"

He tried to smash the mercenary with his shield, hoping to stun him for a moment... however, the shield only hit air and made him stumble forward.

"Please..." His head snapped up, only to be smashed down but something hard and heavy. "That trick only works on novice-soldiers..."

Cynthia staggered back as she saw how Ash the mercenary tripped Flint and almost casually threw him to the side... then the young man turned to look towards the remaining soldiers and guards.

"Alright, time for me to attack." You could say whatever you wanted about Ash's usual expression... but the one he wore when he had a weapon in hand, that was an expression that you didn't want to see as an enemy... "It's my turn to have fun now!"

"Torterra formation!" Cynthia called out to her few remaining soldiers, her confidence slightly higher. Defense were here soldiers greatest strength. "Don't let him get near us!"

"Yes, captain!" The men, those who could stand anyway, yelled in chorus and moved as a single unit. They quickly ran and surrounded their captain, their backs facing her, then those in the front line brought their shield to cover the front, while the soldiers behind them stuck out their weapons through the gaps and were ready to strike anything that came to close.

"Impressive..." The mercenary muttered as he watched the formation. "But you have one weak point..."

"What's that, Ash?" Cynthia smirked, as she was covered by a large number of shields.

"Air assault!"

With those words he took a giant leap, seemingly impossible for any human, and almost flew towards them... and landed with a soft thud in the middle of their formation, smiling calmly.

"Hi!"

"Take him!"

Cynthia's words shouldn't had been said in haste... as it made her soldiers turn around too quickly and very, very clumsily, causing them all to smash into each other with their own weapons as they stood so closely together.

"That's a shame..." The mercenary muttered once again, only to dodge a blow from the captain's weapon. "No, I'm saving you for last..."

He then moved quickly, and struck out with his wooden staff.

Five men fell to the ground, leaving only Cynthia and three slightly taller men left... all looking very nervous and insecure about themselves at the show of his skill.

"Come on..." The mercenary looked at them with his head tilted, clearly not impressed. "You haven't managed to land even a single blow on me yet... aren't you even a little ashamed?"

"It's impossible to hit you!" A soldier who had graying hair, who went by the name of Byron, shouted back... "It's like you can foresee every movement we make!"

"That's nonsense!" The humans and pokemon were surprised to see the young man actually sweat-drop with a light blush on his face... although that soon disappeared and he got his determined look back on his face. "Now, defend yourselves!"

He dashed towards them not waiting for a response. They did their best to try and hit him, they swung their weapons with such precision that very few people could actually avoid... however, the mercenary was one of the few who could, and avoided them with ease while knocking out another two of the remaining soldiers, leaving only Cynthia and Byron left.

"Don't do that, captain." The beautiful blonde's eyes widened as she heard those words. She had made sure not to be seen as she sneaked up behind the young man, preparing to strike him... there was no way that he could have known that she was there.

But, her pain convinced her that she was wrong... since the young man in question had already turned around and delivered a very heavy and painful blow to the side of her stomach, causing her to fall down onto the ground while holding onto the painful area.

"Rhaa!" Ash actually got a bored look as he easily sidestepped Byron's weapon and allowed it to hit the ground, nearly implanting.

"You've been raised to be a knight by the Berlitz family, and you've show bravery and skill in combat and war..." The mercenary looked at the man, who seemed to be in his sixties, as he pulled his weapon up and started to walk towards him. "Yet you can't hit me? I could easily take you out in three moves!"

"Prove it, punk!" Byron growled. Nobody insulted his honor, no one! "Bring it!"

"As you wish." The young man nodded.

One; He ran towards the older man, not exactly surprising him, as he lifted his staff.

Two; Byron tried to fend off the young man, by swinging his own staff up high into the air and trying to strike him away... however it was easily blocked by the mercenary.

Three; They stood in that position, their weapons locked together, and it looked like there was to be no winner in this weapon lock... until the younger man quickly used the other end of his weapon, striking the older man in the chin and knocking him onto the floor.

"Who..." The man tried to speak as he rubbed the place where the weapon had struck, watching the young man offering him a hand up. "Who... are you...?"

"I'm the bodyguard for the royal princess of Sinnoh." Ash declared with a determined look as he lifted the man up onto his feed. "And you fought well."

"Hey... I usually say that!" The man with gray hair mumbled slightly.

"I know." The bodyguard looked at him with a knowing look. "You feel ashamed to be brought down by such a young child... but at the same time you reckon me for taking you down in an honest fight."

"That's rig-... hey... how did you know that?"

"A good guess." Ash simply put his hand on the older man's shoulder for a moment, then turned and walked towards the podium where a few people were standing.

* * *

"So..." He looked at them. "How did I do?"

"PikaPi!" The rodent cheered and jumped onto his friend's shoulder, clearly proud of his companion. "Chuu!"

"That's good, buddy!" Ash laughed and rubbed its little chin. He then looked at the advisor of the royal family. "Brock?"

"Your wounds seem to have recovered fully, Ash." The man, who Ash had befriended in a very short time, nodded his liking and smiled at him. "But I'll never understand how you can fight that well... I would almost go as far to say that you're even greater than Sir Aaron!"

"Please... don't say that." Brock's eyes widened at the dark and depressed look that Ash had on his face when he heard those words... however, it too soon disappeared as quickly as he came as his calm look soon came back. "Princess, was it to your liking?"

"You were awesome, Ash!" The beautiful girl nodded energetically as she looked at her best friend. "Don't you think so too, Leona?... Leona...?"

The chambermaid had a slightly goofy smile on her face as she looked at the young man, who had recently defeated some of the best fighters in the royal caste... however, she soon snapped out of her thoughts and dreams as her friend and princess shook her harshly.

"Leona! Snap out of it!"

"What? Oh, princess Dawn..." Her face flushed as she started to stutter and look down towards the ground. "I'm s-so... sor-sorry... I-I was-"

"Hungry?" Ash smiled knowingly, he recognized the feeling when you were starving.

"What? NO!"

"Then, what was it?"

"N-Nothing..." Leona only gulped and looked around, trying to find something to detrack the attention away from her. "Oh, look! Lady Dawn, it's your father!"

"Where?"

True to word. The king walked into the viewing gallery, looking like the great and proud man that he was. His head was held high as he walked with long and determined steps in the direction of the teens and his advisor.

"Hello, Dawn, Brock, Leona, Sir Ash and Sir Pikachu." Cyrus nodded with a smile.

Dawn got a rather irritated look. It wasn't because her father had come and interrupted them, it wasn't even because Leona did a short curtsy at him... it was the fact that Brock, Ash and Pikachu quickly knelt down in front of him.

"Good day, sire." Ash mumbled down towards the ground, along with a silent. "Pika chu-pi."

"Pleasant day, my liege." Brock also said to the ground, although just a little louder than the raven haired man and rodent. "What can we do for you?"

"We need to be prepared." Ash's head shot up at that, hearing the seriousness in the king's tone. "We need to be ready."

"What's the problem, sire?" Ash didn't really ask, it was more like demanding information of the king... however the king only smiled.

"Well, Ash..." The young man could actually be straight up rude towards him and he wouldn't care. The boy who had saved his only daughter deserved more... he hadn't wanted a reward for it... however, he and Pikachu had been convinced of being knighted to 'Sir Ash, knight of Sinnoh' since it suited him better than 'Ash, the mercenary'. "It's not that serious, so you can lower your weapons... what I'm saying is: We're going to expect some company soon!"

"Company?"

"Yes." The king smiled calmly, however he knew that the storm would arrive any second now... "The royal family of Johto, the Sketchits, will be coming for a visit... and I want everything to be in tip-top shape when they arrive, that includes you too, Brock, Sir Ash and Sir Pikachu."

"Yes/Pi, sir/chu!" The two men and pokemon saluted the king and waited for their next orders.

"Now, Dawn..." Cyrus tensed himself for the attack that was sure to come. "I need you to look your best... their son will come with them and... plan for your future..."

"'Your future'?" The bluenette asked with a deep frown. "Dad, what do you mean?"

"I'm talking about the marriage-arrangements!" The king closed his eyes and prepared himself for the onslaught... that didn't come.

"Who's going to get married?"

"You and the prince of Johto!"

"WHAT?" There it was... "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"

"My ears...!" The bodyguard groaned and clasped his hands over his ears, followed by the rodent. "Pika..."

"Dawn!" Cyrus didn't want to do this, but he had to. "I'm your father, and you'll obey me!"

"No!" She quickly ran away from the scene, nearly leaving a trail of dust in her wake.

"Princess Dawn!" Leona called after her and was prepared to catch up with the girl... however she felt a strong hand hold her back.

"No, Leona." The mercenary shook his head. "Let me try, I think I know what the matter is here..."

"Alright, Sir Ash." She then, to the young man's big confusion, winked at him with a light blush and skipped away, happy that she didn't need to comfort the princess when she was in that mood.

* * *

Knock on the door...

"Go away!"

Another knock...

"I'm serious!"

The door opened and a slightly taller man stepped in, looking at the royal princess with a troubled smile.

"What do you want?" Dawn asked with a sullen and sad voice, not wanting to see anyone as she sat and hugged Buneary and Piplup.

"It's my duty to protect you, princess." The young man smiled calmly, comforting the girl a bit... but not enough to completely settle her down. "In every way that I can."

"Whatever..." Although, the girl couldn't help but blush as she heard those words.

She had refused to leave the man's side, when he was injured. It was mostly out of guilt that she stayed with him, but it was also for another reason... a reason that she couldn't quite understand. She couldn't explain why she had gotten so used to him now, she felt comforted and calm whenever he was around her... although it was also his job to protect her...

"Sucks to be a princess, doesn't it?" Dawn's eyes shot open as she heard those words. The 18 year old man just spoke like a boy in his own age! He always had acted so mature and serious around everybody, and his tone almost had a little humor in it!

"Y-Yeah..." She released a deep sigh, drying the wetness that was in her eyes. "I don't understand it... why do they want me to marry someone I doesn't even like? Can they do that?"

"It's your duty as a princess to marry a royalty." Dawn's face fell as Ash regained his normal and humorless state. "It isn't that bad... I mean, you only need to marry a guy... that's it! I need to risk my life every day, facing death all the time."

"Does that scare you?" The princess suddenly asked her bodyguard, clearly taking him by surprise. "Death?"

"Once you've learned to accept it, no." Ash shook his head, eying the girl suspiciously. "I hope you're not planning on doing anything stupid, princess."

"No!" Seems like the girl clearly took offense to the boy's suggestion. "I mean... why me? WHY do I need to marry a prince?"

"I thought that was every girl's dream..." The young man frowned deeply; the rodent had entered the room only to be jumped by the brown rabbit... "You know, the 'waiting-for-a-prince-and-live-happily-ever-after'-story?"

"But I AM not just a girl!" The young woman sighed, depressed. "I'm a princess... and we like the stories about a knight on a mighty Rapidash, coming to rescue us from this imprisonment."

"Sounds like a nice thought, princess." Her newly found friend smiled and sat down on a chair next to the door, while he eyed the girl. "But, as you said, it's only a story... we all have dreams, and most of them will only remain dreams..."

"What's your dream, Ash?" She clearly made the man uncomfortable, since he started to watch Pikachu run from Buneary instead of answering her question. "...Ash?"

"It's getting late, princess." He stood up and looked at the girl, she could swear that he had a look of pain in his eyes. "I suggest you hurry... the Sketchits will arrive any hour now..."

He then exited the room and closed the door after himself... right before it opened once again to reveal the Princess's best friend.

"Hi, princess!" She chirped happily. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah... thanks..." The pretty blunette sighed, why was everything happening to her? "Much better."

"Did you see Sir Ash?" Dawn arched an eyebrow, looking at her friend with a deep frown. "I mean, he's SO heroic, and brave and-"

"Leona..." Dawn's words made her friend snap out of her daydream and look at her. "Do you have a crush on Ash?"

"WHAT?" She shrieked loudly, causing the young man on the other side of the door to ask if everything was alright... and after they had convinced him that nothing was wrong, Leona continued in a low tone. "N-no! W...-what-... w-would m-m-make you... you sa-say that...?"

"Nothing..." Dawn sang in a sing-song voice, clearly teasing the chambermaid... although, deep down, the blue haired girl couldn't help but feel a knot in her stomach as she heard her friend admire their new male friend...

* * *

Ash looked around the room... he had gotten it a long time ago, as soon as he started to work here. But he had spent as little time in there as possible.

It was for several reasons that he didn't spend much time inside this room.

One of them was that he simply didn't have time, he needed to watch over the princess all hours of the day and night, and for that he couldn't spend much time in this room.

The second reason was that the room was too big for him and Pikachu, he would've been satisfied with about a tenth of the room, it was way out of proportion for him...

And the third and most important reason was that he valued his privacy, and he could never get it in a room that was constantly visited by servants and other people, wanting to know about his adventures or if he needed anything...

In other words: Ash only used this room when absolutely necessary.

"What do you think, Pikachu?" He asked his friend as he turned around, showing him the clothes he was wearing. "You think it's enough?"

"Pika!" The rodent nodded, satisfied.

Ash then turned towards the mirror thing.

He was dressed in a elbow-length white shirt. Over them was a light yet strong silver armor that shined brightly in the light. The long sword, which would've passed for a claymore, was strapped to his back in a new sheath, a strong black sheath that was custom made for him. He wore dark brown pants, a little too baggy for most people, but he needed to move quickly. He then wore a pair of black leather shoes as well as a pair of fingerless gloves. He completed the look with a long black traveling-cloak over his armor, but with the swords still within easy reach.

The bodyguard decided not to bring the bow, since it was not weapon that any royal guard should use, even though Ash didn't really agree with those rules.

"Alright, then." He said and eyed the rodent for a second. "I think you'll need something, too... even if I don't like it..."

"Chuu..." The rodent cooed sadly as the mercenary approached him, wearing a very apologetic smile.

* * *

"Do I really need to do this, father?" An 18 year old young man asked his father. He had brown hair and black eyes, although a rather childish face for a person in his age.

"Yes, my son... it shouldn't be too bad." His father, a middle-aged man with green hair and the same eyes as his son answered him with a calm, albeit slightly sharp tone. "Remember, you need to think of the survival of our line!"

"Come on, Tracey... He's just nervous." a woman with blue eyes and light blue hair smiled at him... although, if somebody would've said that she and the young man was mother and son, nobody would've believed them... but, Clair was truly the Queen of Johto, wife to King Tracey of Johto and mother to Prince Kenny. "I'm sure it will be alright, sweetie."

"No, mom!" Her son snapped at her, although she was used to it. "It has been ten years since I last met her! She doesn't want me there!"

"You will meet this girl, and you will find a liking to her!" Tracey's voice boomed in the wagon that they were traveling in. "The sooner you find yourselves a princess, the better."

"Please, Tracey... don't talk like that."

"Quiet, woman!" The soldiers tried to ignore their king's outburst... however, they knew that the males of Johto's royal family had never quite respected their women, but they had never laid a hand on them... that was one of Hoenn's 'traditions'... "It's all about finding a royalty at a young age before it's too late!"

"Yes, dear..." Clair sighed, she sometimes still wondered why she had agreed to marry this really paranoid man...

"Alakazam!" The pokemon inquired, wanting to join the conversation too.

"And why did you bring that thing with you?" The king ranted on as he looked at the pokemon who had an unbelievably high IQ level. "That pokemon can barely fight!"

"He can do other necessary things, father." Kenny smirked inwardly as he thought of his pokemon... true, it couldn't fight well as it was too weak, physically... but it could communicate with him through his mind, and read other people's mind and, sometimes, even control them... "And he's my friend!"

"'Friend'..." The king spat out the word like it had been venom. "Pokemon can't be 'friends' with humans!"

"Yes, father..." Kenny muttered, rather sullen since he actually considered Alakazam as his friend.

"Calm down, Tracey." Clair smiled, even if it looked rather strained, at him. "We're here now."

True to word. As soon as she said that, a horn echoed from the walls of Hearthome City and they could hear several guards and pokemon roar and shout to each another as they saw the rather large group of Johto soldiers coming towards their city.

"Open the gates!" One of their soldiers ordered the other region's soldiers as they drew closer. "In the name of King Tracey of Johto!"

"Do you really expect we'll let in ALL of you, in the city?" Was the response they heard, probably from a Sinnoh soldier. "Let us see the royal family, so this isn't just a trick!"

The Sketchit waited for a short moment, before a guard opened the royal wagon, an apologetic look on his face as he looked at them.

"I'm very sorry, my liege..." He took a deep breath. "But they refuse to let us in, unless we show that it's truly you that we're transporting."

"Well, that's it!" The guard turned towards the youngest member of the family. "They've insulted us! Let's go, father!"

"Quiet, Kenny." Tracey glared at him, silencing him immediately. "It's bad times... so their request is only reasonable. Come, let us go out."

Everybody inside the wagon walked out, so that they could be spotted from the walls.

Armed soldiers had gathered there, some on duty and others only wanting to see the family... although, there were two beings that wanted something else...

"Well?" The king of Johto raised his voice, making so everyone could hear him. "Are you still denying us passage?"

Some murmurs on the wall were heard, actually making the king feel quite uncomfortable.

"You may pass..." The soldier seemed to hesitate. "As long as you leave the Alakazam there!"

"Why?" The prince shot back quickly, clearly not wanting to leave his friend and servant behind.

"Orders from the royal bodyguard of the princess of Sinnoh!" The guard actually mocked him a bit, since he would rather charge the front lines of a battle than to face the mercenary in a training-battle.

"You-"

"Enough!" Tracey interrupted his son and glared down at him, again. "If they're afraid that it might cause harm to the princess, so be it... Alakazam will stay outside of the walls!"

"Along with two thirds of your army!" The guard added, now feeling rather sure of himself. "The king's expecting you!"

"Much appreciated..." The king of Johto growled as he entered the wagon again, along with his family and their guards, as they then continued to travel inside the walls of Hearthome City... they had arrived...

* * *

"Aah, Tracey... welcome to my halls!" King Cyrus walked up and greeted the other king, right after him came Johanna. "You don't look a day older!"

"Same to you, you old Kingler!" Tracey shot back with a laugh, causing the other king laugh too.

"And Clair..." Cyrus shook his head, as trying to get rid of an image. "You're as stunning as always!"

"Why, thank you, king Cyrus." Clair smiled and let him greet her.

"Clair, it's a pleasure to meet you, again." Johanna smiled big... however, Clair's smile wasn't so natural.

"Johanna, nice to see you..."

"Now, why don't we dine?" Cyrus walked towards the table... only to turn around when the other king did an 'ehum'-sound.

"You seem to have forgotten my son, Cyrus?" Tracey almost glared at him as he shoved Kenny in front of him, causing the young man look down towards the ground.

"Oh, Kenny! How could I forget!" Cyrus laughed, rather sheepishly as he shook the boy's hand. "When I last saw you, you were THIS short!" He put prove to his words with showing some gestures of a really short person.

"Yes, thank you, sir." The young man gulped, embarrassed, as he looked around the hall... "Excuse me... but, where's the princess?"

"Eager, are we?" Cyrus joked, although he got a serious look on his face as Johanna elbowed him in the back, hard. "Ouch-... Well, ehum, let's get her then!"

He whispered a few quick words to his servant... who instantly ran out the door and came back a second later and cleared his throat.

"Presenting... The princess of Sinnoh, Dawn Berlitz!"

Kenny, who had already started eating and not bothered to wait for the others, dropped his fork as he saw the beautiful sight in front of him.

There she stood. Some of her blue hair tied up in a knot on her head, while the others fell down along her shoulders and back. She wore a silver tiara on her head, which had some rubies in it, a floor length white dress, that looked like it was made of finest silk, along with an equally white mantle-train, with a light brown-haired girl in a pink dress walking behind her to hold her train up. But Kenny didn't notice the chambermaid, neither did he put any notice to the blond captain or the raven haired bodyguard, who had both walked in after her, both of them looking like they wanted to be somewhere else.

"Ah, Dawn!" Cyrus smiled, proud of his beautiful daughter, as he walked up and hugged her. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks, father." Nobody noticed the captain, bodyguard and rodent look at each other with frowns on their faces, confused at the princess's sudden change in mood.

"Now, I hope you remember King Tracey, Queen Clair and Prince Kenny of Johto?"

"It's a pleasure, meeting you." Dawn did a very elegant and polite curtsy towards them. "I hope the trip here was comfortable."

"Very much, thank you." Tracey nodded, a big smile plastered on his face.

* * *

"How does she do it?" Ash whispered to the captain, as he watched the bluenette be a little too polite...

"She's a princess, how do you think?" Cynthia had to stop herself from giggling, since it would totally ruin her image.

"Pika..."

* * *

"H-Hi, Dawn!" The young man gulped, his face red.

"Greetings, prince Kenny." Now Ash could feel the hate and dislike that the princess was radiating, she had almost fooled him for a second there... although, she seemed to fool the prince since he got a look of calm and the red on his face disappeared.

"Now, let's eat!" Cyrus quickly clapped his hands to get everyone's attention and then rally them around the table. "While the food's still hot!"

The royal families sat themselves around the table. Except for the ten fighters of Sinnoh and Johto.

They had agreed on letting five warriors of each side to be in the hall with them, and they had chosen carefully.

On the Sinnoh-side, stood Ash, Cynthia, Pikachu, Byron and Maylene, a girl with pink hair and eyes who was also a martial arts expert and was an accomplished lancer in battle.

Ash couldn't really say who was on the Johto-side... but they were all males, and the only pokemon there was an Empoleon, the other four of them seemed to be renowned warriors, however... Ash would judge that most of them relied on strength and brute force in battle.

"So..." Cyrus tried to break the awkward silence that was being settling over them, it wasn't that easy to talk as their warriors stared challengingly at each other... "Have you heard the latest news about the Aura Guardians and the Dark Auras?"

His words made Ash and Pikachu tense, although nobody noticed, since everyone's eyes were directed at Cyrus.

"No, what news?" Tracey had never been that close to any Aura Guardians, since he considered them to be a group of shallow heroes who only liked to prance around the world.

"It's said that the last of the Aura Guardians has been finished by Dark Auras..." Cyrus sighed. "It was pretty much over when Sir Riley Gen and Sir Ash, son of Sir Aaron, died. Since the last two were very old and couldn't put up much of a fight... but, still."

"Wait a minute!" Every look was now directed at Dawn. "You're saying that Ash Ketchum, the Aura Guardian, is dead? I thought he was only missing!"

"Well, Dawn..." The blunette looked at Clair. "That's only a stupid rumor my cousin, Lance, spread around. He only said that to keep the people of Kanto calm... that dumb man, he could be owning his own estate by now! But, no! He chose the army as a career! A captain indeed!"

Ash glanced at Cynthia, who only glared at the queen of Johto, unnoticed of course.

"Now, don't be like that, Clair." Cyrus smiled weakly. "Lance is doing his best to maintain Kanto's borders against Hoenn, who attacked with all their might the first year after the demise of the Royal family... I thank Arceus that they had such great commander as Lance, to keep their enemies in their own region!"

"Clair, tell me..." Clair looked at her husband. "Since Lance is your cousin... maybe you can tell us, how did that Ash-person die?"

"Tracey!" Johanna gasped at the man's brutal demand. "Don't talk like that here!"

"Pardon me, Johanna." Tracey did a small half-apologetic bow. "But, I'm only curious: How can we really know that Sir Ash, son of Sir Aaron, is dead?"

The mercenary got a little smile on his face... even though they were talking about the life that he was trying to forget.

"I mean... what makes you think he didn't become a Dark Aura himself?"

Pikachu had to send a little shock towards his friend, so that he wouldn't open the mouth and insult the king himself...

"Aura Guardians are exaggerated!" Kenny seemed to have wanted some attention, and tried to impress the princess, as he stood up and looked around. "I think I could be able to take down one!"

"Yes, after you cry to them for mercy!" Tracey pushed his son back into his chair, earning a slight giggle from Dawn. "But, it's true! Johto has the best warriors!"

"And what makes you say that?" Johanna sighed as she heard her husband argue back... this was why the two families didn't meet that often... Cyrus and Tracey became so competitive..."What makes you think that Johto can fight better than Sinnoh?"

"Nothing, nothing at all..." Tracey smirked smugly. "Except that Sinnoh focuses more on books than actual battling!"

It wasn't that funny a joke. But you could hear the hall echo with laughter from the king and the guards of Johto, while Sinnoh's warriors only glared at them, Ash included.

"The pen is mightier than the sword, remember?" Cyrus refused to take the bait, since he knew where Tracey wanted to take this.

"Sometimes, the sword conquers the pen!" Tracey stood up. "Come on, Cyrus! Johto has trained in a new technique! We've learned how to fight two on two!"

"I believe you." Cyrus nodded. "But, just because you fight better together, doesn't mean that it's all that it takes... an army of soldiers needs to fight like one, single unit. There's no room for solo skirmishes, not even with two people together."

Now it was the Sinnoh-warriors turn to mock their Johto counterparts, since they smashed their weapons to the floor in chorus and let out a loud and mighty roar, causing the Johto-people to jump slightly.

"Where do you think this will lead, Cynthia?" Ash whispered slowly to the captain as he watched the two kings glare at each other, while Dawn smiled brightly at the possibility of escaping any marriage-arrangements.

"The same way it always leads when these two get into an argument." Cynthia mumbled, although a small smile was visible on her lips. "The only difference is that now, I won't be the one to prove anything..."

"Prove what?"

"Then it's settled!" Tracey almost smashed down his wooden goblet onto the table, to get their attention. "One of my warriors and pokemon will fight against one of yours!"

"Deal!"

"Barry! Get Empoleon here and show them who's the best!"

"Yes, my King!" A blond man, who seemed to be slightly taller than Ash in his early twenties quickly ran up to him, an overgrown penguin following after him.

"'Barry'?" Cyrus thought a little... then got a blank look on his face. "Aren't you the son to the famous warrior Palmer?"

"EX famous warrior, sir!" The orange-eyed man declared, slightly annoyed. "I am much stronger than him!"

"I know what you're thinking, Cyrus." Tracey nodded. "True, his father is from Sinnoh... but this boy came to us when he was three years old, and we trained him!"

"I see..." Cyrus muttered. The blond man was a fierce warrior, everybody both knew and could see that... "Sir Ash, will you help me out?"

"Yes, sire." Ash bowed as he and Pikachu walked up to them.

"Let me introduce you to Sir Ash, knight of Sinnoh!" Now it was Cyrus turn to smirk as he presented Ash. "Slayer of witches, and bodyguard to my daughter!"

"Ash!" The raven haired young man jumped a little at the blond man's outburst. "As in: Ash, the mercenary?"

"I go by many names..." The bodyguard/mercenary muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"You hired a MERCENARY to protect your daughter?" Tracey asked with a deep frown. "Don't you know that they mostly become mercenaries because no army want them, that they're too lousy or too brutal?"

"If you can manage your own kingdom, King Cyrus will handle his..." Ash glared at King Tracey, clearly offending him. "...sir.."

King Cyrus nodded in agreement, glad that he hadn't been needed to answer the other king's question.

"Man, I've wanted to fight you for SO long!" Barry, who didn't seem to see the serious matter in this affair, acted like a little fan-girl. "They said that you were the best and most skillful warrior this generation has ever seen!"

"Thank you."

"Don't flatter yourself!" Ash arched an eyebrow at him. "It's been my dream to take you down!"

"Let us begin then!" Cyrus and Tracey said as they walked up to their chosen warriors.

"Now, Ash... I'm sorry for this." The king whispered to him. "I shouldn't have put this task on you, you can of course decline this fight, I'm sure that everyone will understand and-"

"My king, forgive me..." Ash actually smiled as he looked at him. "When I saved the princess from the Gyarados, I had to focus on keeping her safe so I was easily overpowered by it... And since I can't challenge it again, I want to test my strength against a real opponent, right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" The rodent cheered as his cheeks sparked.

"Look at that! He's using a little mouse!" The raven haired teen's head snapped up when he heard King Tracey speak. "Finish him quickly; he's not worthy to fight long."

"I trust you, Ash." Cyrus whispered at him, he then put a hand on his shoulder and walked back to his seat.

"Alright!" It seemed like they had chosen Leona to start the battle. "This will be a two on two battle with both humans and pokemon... NO KILLING! Anyone who gets wounded is out of the game! If one person kills another, he'll immediately face execution! Are the rules clear?"

"Yes./Pika./Yeah!/Poleon!"

"Good..." She made a dramatic pause... "Now... Let me introduce you to the fighter for Sinnoh! He goes by many names! He's said to be the bane of many men and witches, he's said to have battled the strongest of pokemon and come out victorious in each and every one of them! He's said to be a master of every single weapon and has the strength of a Machoke, the speed of a Pidgeot, the intellect of a Alakazam, the bravery-" She stopped herself, face beet red, as she saw her friend glare at her, and the others look at her with confused faces. "Anyway! Here's: Sir Ash and Pikachu, Knights of Sinnoh!"

Cyrus, Johanna and Dawn clapped politely... however, the soldiers behind them roared and cheered in approval for their champions, all of whom had faced said person in combat.

"And, fighting for the region of Johto... it's Barry." She said with such bored tone that Ash couldn't help but chuckle a bit, clearly offending the blond man and every other of his fellow countrymen.

"Barry, of Johto!" King Tracey filled in, not wanting to ruin the blond young man's reputation completely.

The Johto-people cheered for their fighter and pokemon, clearly wanting to put Sinnoh in their place...

"Begin!"

"Alright, Empoleon!" Barry looked at his partner with a determined look. "Let's start with a P15 strategy, and then follow up with a B5!"

"Em...poleon...?" The penguin looked at him with a blank look as he spoke those words, earning laughs from the Sinnoh-side.

"Pikachu, you want to finish this quick, or drag it out? It's your call." The mercenary, knight and bodyguard looked at his friend, who only smirked at their opponents.

"Pikachu! Pika-pi-pi!"

"So do I." Ash nodded and looked towards Barry and Empoleon. "Surrender! I promise you that you'll prefer that instead of what's going to happen!"

Now, it was Johto's children turn to laugh, that man had clearly not seen nor met Barry Jun before...

"No way, Ash!" The blond warrior laughed as he drew out a claymore, only slight shorter than Ash's sword. "I've been looking forward to fighting you one day!"

"It's 'Sir Ash', to you..." The knight muttered as he also drew out his sword and watched the blond and Empoleon charge towards them. "Pikachu, let's take them down..."

"Pika!"

Barry and Empoleon were only a few meters from them, when they suddenly switched targets, trying to take Ash and Pikachu by surprise, as Empoleon's wings glowed a bright white... however, that's why they became pretty stunned when Barry felt a yellow mouse ram into his stomach and Empoleon feel a young man tackle him... hard...

The man and pokemon fell down onto the floor, as Pikachu and Ash actually high-fived each other, happy to make their opponents to fall for that easy trick.

"Empoleon!" Barry growled, especially since all of Sinnoh's soldiers started to laugh at them. "Take them down with a water-attack!"

"Don't!" Ash tried to stop them... however, it was already too late as he saw Empoleon open his mouth and fire a strong jet of water towards them. "Pikachu! Break it!"

"Pi... kaa..." The rodent's tail glowed a bright metallic-white as it jumped towards the oncoming jet of water. "CHUU!" He smashed into the stream and broke it, causing water to splash all over the room... take note of the 'ALL over the room' bit...

"What in Lugia's name do you think you're doing!" Barry froze as he heard King Tracey's voice boom through the hall. "You dare to attack the King?"

"Calm down, Tracey." Cyrus looked at him, although he too was also pretty annoyed by the stunt. "It's only water... and I'm certain that Mr. Jun couldn't predict this outcome..."

Queen Clair and Prince Kenny were furious, they had spent a fortune on their clothes, just to impress the other family... and now they were ruined!

Johanna and Dawn, on the other hand, looked at each other and then started to laugh... sure, their hair and clothes were soaked, but they couldn't help but see the fun part to this scenario, and soon the soldiers of Sinnoh also started to laugh as they heard the two beautiful women from their royal family laugh.

"I'm sorry, my lieges!" Barry knelt down onto the ground and bowed to them, followed by Empoleon. "Please! Forgive me!"

"I apologize, King Cyrus, Queen Johanna, Princess Dawn, Captain Cynthia, Sir Byron, Lady Leona and Lady Maylene." Ash did a short and honest bow towards them, and they nodded or smiled... Tracey, Kenny and Clair, on the other hand, only glared at him since he hadn't apologized to them... "Shall we continue?"

"What...? Oh, yeah!" Barry quickly got up and looked at his partner. "Empoleon! Try and use-"

"I suggest that we keep it to close-combat, Mr. Jun." Ash cleared his throat, trying to not offend his opponent. "To avoid any more... misunderstandings..."

"Right... let's do that..." Barry nodded, now realizing the danger they both would be in if such event occurred again... "Bring it!"

The four combatants then clashed into a fight... The mercenary had to admit, Barry was a good swordsman, he could actually put up quite a fight against him, and Empoleon seemed to give Pikachu a rather tough time as they fought with different body-parts glowing.

Ash blocked a blow from Barry's sword... you couldn't really say who was the best warrior in this fight, since all of them had to be careful to not hurt their opponent too much... but, Ash had a little trick in his book that he knew the Johto-people didn't have...

"Pikachu! Switch!"

The rodent and human then, to everyone's big surprise, swapped opponents! Leaving Ash to fight against Empoleon and Barry against Pikachu.

But, what was really confusing them was that Ash actually fought Empoleon with ease! Pokemon are naturally stronger and better fighters than humans, but since humans have their intellect and technology, it becomes an even fight... But, Ash hadn't any access to any equipment... and yet he could still fend off the penguin without much effort...

Barry, on the other hand, had a much harder time in trying to keep up with the rodent... Pikachu used his glowing Iron Tail and fought off Barry, making him take several steps back... and the blond man wielded his sword now, not by skill, but by sheer instinct and insecurity.

"Pikachu! Switch again!"

Now it was like it was before, human against human and pokemon against pokemon... however, Barry and Empoleon had decided that this couldn't go on...

"Take this!" Barry swung his sword towards Ash's head, knowing that he would block the attack, but, instead of breaking it and trying again, Barry kept them in a weapon-lock, as though to test their strength...

Ash didn't have as much arm strength as Barry, and the blond also had the upper hand. That's why the mercenary needed to use both his hands to prevent the sword from splitting his skull, while Barry only needed one hand to hold the lock.

Pikachu actually laughed a bit as he dodged another of Empoleon's attacks, earning sounds of awe from the crowd around him, he was enjoying this a great deal!

But, then his little black eyes caught something else... as Ash stood there and prevented Barry from striking him down, he could see the blond fighter take a knife from his belt!

Pikachu pushed Empoleon away and could see that Ash also noticed the knife, but he couldn't do anything without getting hurt or expose Pikachu...

"Pika!" The rodent cried out as it threw itself between the oncoming knife and his friend. "Chaaa!"

"Pikachu!" The rodent heard his best friend roar out as he felt a painful feeling...

"No!" Ash's eyes grew dark as he somehow pushed away Barry's sword and kicked him in the stomach, making him fly back, before he knelt down by the rodent. "Pikachu! Are you okay?"

"Pika... PikaPi..." The rodent cooed sadly, but he wasn't critically injured... the knife had landed on his tail and there was some blood, but he was going to be alright.

"It's alright, Ash..." He didn't believe his ears, nor eyes, as he saw and heard the blunette whisper in his ear and pick up the little rodent. "I'm going to take care of him, you're still in the battle... Give them hell..."

"Sir Pikachu has lost blood! He's out of the game!"

Ash only watched the princess as she made her way towards Leona, who stood there ready with the basic medical equipment, and started to patch the mouse up... He could hear murmurs from soldiers on both sides, all seeming to despise Barry for that cheap-shot and admire the rodent for his bravery...

Barry and Empoleon gulped as they saw the raven haired mercenary turn around, looking at them with a very VERY angry face.

"You're lucky that I am not allowed to kill you..." He looked at them with his eyes burning darkly. "But, I'm going to let it slip easily... but not as easily as you think..."

"D-Don't let him... scare us, Empoleon!" Barry tried to bring courage back into his pokemon, however with his own voice breaking, it wasn't really very inspiring... "Let's take him down!"

The pokemon nodded, still hesitating, and charged the mercenary, who stood completely still, sword in hand...

But, when the two companions were two meters from him, Ash did a quick movement and appeared between them with his sword raised.

"Defend yourselves!" His commanding voice made them quickly put up their swords and... fins... and started to block his swift and precise attacks.

Nobody there could believe their eyes... Ash, a simple mercenary and knight of the halls of Sinnoh, was standing between two of Johto's strongest and most skillful warriors and was fighting them at the same time, even if they tried to hit him over and over.

And they also couldn't put their finger on why Ash had so many opportunities to strike them and take them out, but instead he smashed them with the blunt side of his sword, making them cry out in pain and back away... and he had been doing that for several minutes now and the crowd were on the edge of their seats.

"Pika!" The rodent, who had got a bandage around its tail, cried out from the side-lines, trying to reason with his friend. "Pikachu! Pi-pi!"

Nobody was sure... but some could have sworn that the mercenary nodded, while he was busy giving his opponents the beating of their lives.

He avoided Empoleon's fin and blocked Barry's sword, then he did a quick strike with his sword and cut Empoleon lightly in the stomach, causing him to fall down and drag himself out of the field, leaving a cheering crowd and a stunned Barry behind him.

"Now, it's your turn..." Ash looked at the blond man with disappointed eyes, yet nobody knew why...

"Please! Don't do it..." Barry threw away his sword and got down onto his knees. "I've never got a sword-wound in all my life! I want to tell people that no metal can touch me! Please... don't cut me! Don't give me a scar!"

Ash looked at him, then at the sword, then back at him, then at the sword again, and finally back at him before he spoke.

"We all have scars to live with..." He then did a swift motion with the metal-weapon and made his opponent fall back and land on his butt.

Barry's eyes widened as he held a hand to his chin, and felt the red liquid flow down... The mercenary had given him a scar on the cheek...

"Barry has lost blood and is unable to continue!" Leona was quick to hurry towards the field. "That makes Sir Ash the winner! This is proof of Sinnoh holding the strongest warriors!"

Ash smiled weakly, wanting to explain that this wasn't proof of anything, since nobody knew where he and Pikachu originally came from... but he couldn't do that since his fellow soldiers roared in approval and took him into a big embrace.

"That's to show Johto where Sinnoh stands!" Byron barked as he almost choked the mercenary with his strong arms. "You're really something, Ash!"

"PikaPi!" The rodent cried out in delight as he jumped onto his friend's shoulder and rubbed his little cheek against Ash's. "Pikaaa!"

"Thanks, guys..." Ash rubbed the back of his head, slightly embarrassed, as he saw the blond captain nod her approval at him.

Dawn also wanted to hug her friend... but she couldn't for several reasons:

One; The princess should only show close affection to the man that she was supposed to marry, except for her father.

Two; A princess doesn't mix with 'common soldiers', even if she really despised that rule...

Three; She needed to act like a princess in company, and that was no way to a princess to behave.

Four; And, lastly and most importantly... Prince Kenny of Johto had already dragged her away from the scene towards the royal gardens, wanting to tell her something...

Ash's head snapped open as he felt a very important aura leave the room... but he couldn't do anything since he was stuck between soldiers, Pikachu and Leona...

"EUHM!" Cyrus loud and mighty voice made the children of Sinnoh quickly disperse and return to their positions, as the king and queen couldn't help but shake their head in amusement at their stunt... "Sir Ash, Pikachu, you did a very good job out there."

"Thank you, sire." Ash bowed deeply, followed by the patched-up rodent.

"No, thank you." The king whispered those words to him... but, to everyone else, he said. "Ash, you have done your region proud today! Your achievement is extraordinary!"

"Yes, extraordinary, indeed..." Tracey muttered as he eyed him. "I must say... I've never seen such a strong warrior before... how do you do it, mercenary?"

"My name is Sir Ash, knight of Sinnoh, sir." Ash shot a glance at the King, clearly offending him again. "And I will not tell you how I do it, since you won't believe it... now, if you will all excuse us... we need to continue with our duty..."

They then quickly hurried out of the hall, leaving some disappointed, some pleased and some furious persons behind them...

* * *

"Sure is nice out here, don't you think...?"

"Huh?"

"I said, it's nice out here!"

"You don't need to yell!"

"I'm sorry, Dawn."

"That's Princess Dawn to you!"

"Alright, 'princess'..."

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Why not?"

Dawn only looked at the brown haired young man, who looked like he wanted to say something, something important.

"I don't know." She narrowed her eyes into him. "Why don't you tell me..."

"What do you think of me, Princess." His question really took Dawn by surprise, she had only just met him!

"Well..." She pondered for a while, and decided to tell him the truth. "You're handsome, I think..."

"Really?" Dawn quickly regretted those words as she saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes, and a determined look crossed his face... "Good! Because, when we get married-"

"Hold on!" The teen held up her hands and tried to shake off the image. "'Married'? I'm only seventeen years old!"

"So what?" The princess didn't like the tone in his voice... "Every girl gets married when they're young! And you should thank me since I've lower my expectations."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah, I mean... I could probably get a MUCH more beautiful girl! But, no, I'm sticking with you! I think you should be grateful for what I'm doing!"

"Are you kidding?"

"No, why would I?"

"**SLAP!**"

Kenny blinked and then he could feel himself go red as the pain refused to subside from his cheek, where a hand had struck him...

"How dare you!" Dawn exclaimed, breathing heavily as her eyes were on fire.

"How dare YOU?" Kenny shouted back and grabbed her arms harshly. "I'm the prince of Johto! You can't treat me like a nobody!"

"Release the princess!" The prince felt a strong force grab his clothes and throw him back, making him land hard on the ground.

He quickly got up and saw the raven haired young man stand between him and Dawn, with the rodent perched on his shoulder.

"Leave, now." Ash didn't have his sword out, but he wouldn't hesitate to use it. "I've sworn to protect the princess from the likes of you... by any means necessary!"

"Get out of my way, peasant!" Kenny tried to command him, but to no avail... Dawn only stood behind Ash and looked rather scared.

"Leave!"

"Who do you think you are?" Kenny walked straight up to Ash and looked at him. "I am a prince!"

"You are a prince of Johto, and this isn't Johto..." Ash glared at him, Pikachu sparking his cheeks.

"Not yet!" Kenny argued back, growing red in the face. "Just you watch! I'll come back with an army! I'll lead it and destroy Sinnoh!"

"Leave, now!" Ash took a step towards him. "You're bothering the Princess."

"If you lay one hand on me..." Kenny breathed heavily, feeling very angry. "I swear that I'll send an army and burn this city to the ground!"

He then fell down towards the ground, his right eye feeling painful... He then felt a jerk in his vest as he was lifted up into the air by the mercenary and bodyguard.

"If you do that..." Ash whispered those words, although Dawn and Pikachu could still hear him... "If you do that... I swear to Ho-Oh, I'll be the first man in Sinnoh's front-line... and I will fight my way towards you, and I will kill you."

He then pushed him away, causing him to stumble away from the slightly younger man, looking at him with a scared expression.

"Leave!"

Dawn saw Ash turn around to face her, and then she saw Kenny run away, then everything hit her and she started to sob heavily and threw herself onto her bodyguard's chest and cried.

"It's alright..." She could hear the young man's comforting words. "It's over... he's gone..."

"I... I..." Dawn sobbed so much that she had a hard time speaking. "I... I was... scared..."

"There, there..." Ash wrapped his arms around her in an effort to stop the crying, as he slowly stroked her back. "It's all over... nobody's going to hurt you."

"You... you promise...?"

"I swore to protect you with my life... Lady Dawn."

She broke the hug and looked at him with wet eyes, making him feel bad about himself for some reason...

"What?"

"You... you called me... 'Lady Dawn'..." The princess swallowed the lump that she had in her throat.

"I did, didn't I..." The young man smiled calmly at her, making her feel a warm feeling in her chest.

"Ash..." She started to hug him again... but, this time she didn't cry... she just hugged him to convince him that she was happy that he was here. "Thank you."

"It's my duty, princess."

**End of chapter 10**

**

* * *

**

**How'd you like that? Alright, most of the penguinshippers didn't probably like it... but the rest of you?**

**Now, to wrap this up: It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

**Oh, by the way: God Jul!/Merry Christmas!**

**R&R!  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, I hope that the start on your new year has been very pleasant!**

**And I would like to apologize for the late delay of the chapter, but things came up and I sometimes didn't have any access to the Internet...**

**Alright, let's get this story going, shall we?**

**Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!  
**

* * *

Ash didn't know if it was luck, or if it was something that he had said … but, when he and Dawn walked back into the dining hall to reunite with the other guest, they found out that the royal family of Johto had left with haste.

Dawn Berlitz had of course asked her father why that was so, as in why King Tracey, Queen Clair and Prince Kenny had left... but Cyrus had only shrugged and told her that they had left without so much as a word.

It hadn't been until two weeks after the incident, that the King sent Cyrus a message and explained the tragic events that had occurred... but, what's even more surprising, is that he actually apologized on his son's behalf, and promised King Cyrus that such things would never happen again.

You would have believed that Dawn and Ash would get in trouble for the things that they had done, even if Ash was only acting out of duty. That's why it came as a relief to Ash that Cyrus declared that 'Sir Ash, knight of Sinnoh' would always be welcomed and respected in their house...

"And I take it that you've no idea how it makes sense..." The raven haired bodyguard sat on the inner wall of the castle walls along with his partner and the king's advisor, as they watched the sun set in the horizon. "I really thought that we would be punished for what we did."

"And you should have!" Brock Harrison, one of the king's most trusted men, scolded the mercenary. "You struck the prince of Johto, for Mew's sake!"

"I didn't know you were from Kanto, Brock." Ash and Pikachu looked at the squint-eyed man, who was looking rather uncomfortable at the moment.

"What? How did you-"

"'For Mew's sake'." The two bodyguards smiled, taking the advisor by surprise. "Only a man from Kanto would use Mew that way... especially since the other regions are sure that their legendaries are stronger."

"Darn it..." Brock mumbled, slightly embarrassed that the mercenary had figured out his secret in just a couple of weeks. "I really should watch what I'm saying."

"Yeah, you should." Ash chuckled as he looked at the troubled older man at his side, the guards were starting to close the outer gate for the day. "How many know about this fact?"

"King Cyrus and Queen Johanna..." The advisor muttered, not wanting to look the young man and pokemon in the eye. "I came to them as a little boy... my father was a very well known man back in Kanto, he was actually a landlord of Pewter City! But... he went crazy, so me and my siblings split up and decided to test our luck in different places."

"I'm sorry to hear that." His words were followed up by a rather sad: "Pika-chuuu..."

"Thanks." Brock smiled sadly, he hated talking about his past, he doubted if anyone in the castle had as bad a childhood as he did... "What about you? Nobody knows where you're from... and how did you and Pikachu meet each other?"

Ash and the rodent looked at each other, sharing a look that nobody except them, and one other being, could read... before they turned back to the advisor.

"We met each other when I was three years old, and we've always been together eversince." Ash spoke slowly, as though he were choosing his words carefully.

"And where're you from?"

"Does it matter?" The bodyguard and rodent turned to look at the advisor, their eyes had flared up at that question. "I'm here to protect, not to answer unnecessary questions!"

"Whoa! Calm down, Ash!" Brock held his hands in front of him to protect himself, as though Ash was sending out heat-waves towards Brock. "It was only a question, you don't have to answer it."

"Thank you." The newly ennobled human and pokemon smiled weakly at him. "I apologize for my outburst... you're not the only one with uncomfortable memories from your past."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up." Brock gazed at the horizon as the sun went down. "It's just... It seems like we know everything about you! But, when I think about it, we don't really know a thing!"

"And that's the way I want it." Pikachu nodded along with his partner, as he spoke those words, their duty would start soon. "It's easier for us to live alongside you if you don't know that much."

"Alright, I understand." The advisor nodded, took a deep breath and then got up from his sitting position. "Well, I think it's time to get back to work... for all of us."

"I agree." The two bodyguards and royal advisor left the wall, saluting a few guards and continued on their way down towards the castle.

The sun had completely disappeared in the distance...

* * *

"You're so lucky..." The seventeen year old blunette looked at her friend with a deep frown.

"Are you crazy, Leona?" Why did she always do that? "You know how much I hate the royal life!"

"No, not the fact that you're a princess!" Leona shook her head quickly, then got a goofy smile on her face. "I'm talking about the fact that you get to be guarded by Sir Ash day and night!"

"Leona!" Dawn could feel her face grow red as she heard her friend's words; the blue penguin and brown rabbit only looked at her strangely. "Stop it!"

"Stop what?" The brunette with short hair asked, puzzled.

"That!"

"What?"

"Saying that I'm lucky since Ash guards me!"

"But you should!"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"B-Because!"

"Because...?"

"Gah!" The princess kicked a chair, which resulted in a tearing noise being heard before the chair fell to the ground with a thud. Both occupants of the room froze.

"Oh, no!" Leona exclaimed as she ran towards the princess, who only stood there looking confused. "The dress! It's ruined!"

"So? We can fix it, right?" Dawn shrugged as she removed it from her body.

"Well, yeah! But what're you going to wear now?"

"How about some of my other clothes?"

"Yeah, that could work..." The chambermaid pondered as she quickly started to look through the wardrobe for something presentable for the princess to wear. "Let's see... no, no, no, maybe, no, no, ye-no, no..."

Dawn only sighed as she heard her friend go through her entire closet, which was pretty big; she only lay herself on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

"No, no no..."

The blunette watched on as Piplup and Buneary played some kind of game, they ran around in the room and tapped each other and then started to run the other direction... it looked kinda fun, but Dawn knew that she couldn't join them... so was almost a grown-up, and a princess, so she couldn't do such childish things. Even if she sure missed them.

"I've found it!" Leona's voice was so eager that Dawn quickly got up from the bed and ran towards her... a little too quickly... so fast that she barely saw things she passed... so fast that she tripped over a little footstool...

"Aaah!" Dawn cried out as she was sent crashing down towards the floor, but Leona quickly caught her in her arms. "Phew, thanks, Leona..."

Suddenly, the door was kicked down by an incredible force as Ash and Pikachu charged in with wild looks and their weapons at the ready.

"What's wrong? Who is hurt?" They demanded to know as they looked around wildly in the room... until they both started to blush heavily... "E-Excuse me! P-Pince...ss!"

Dawn frowned and looked at the embarrassed bodyguards, and then at the extremely bothered Leona... but she finally realized what was going on, since she felt a chill in her body due to the lack of clothes...

Ash and Pikachu clasped their hands over their ears as they heard the princess's scream, they groaned and hurried out of the room, closed the door, and slid down the wall as they panted heavily.

"Never... never again..." Ash breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm his pulse down. "We're lucky if we get to live till tomorrow..."

"Pika..." The rodent cooed sadly as he held his little paw onto his stomach and felt how it raised and lowered itself. "Chuuu..."

"I know we're going to hear this for the rest of our lives..." Ash groaned as he slowly got up, since people who passed them started to look at them strangely. "But..." His face had the slightest of blushes as he said this. "... it was worth it..."

"Pi? Pikachu! Pika-Pi, PikaPi!" The rodent quickly scolded his friend as he jumped onto his shoulder and pulled his ear. "Pika!"

"Ouch! Hey! What's the big idea?" The mercenary was now red in anger as he held Pikachu in front of him, out of reach from his ear. "I was only joking!"

"Pi-hi..." The rodent held its little paws in front of its mouth as he tried not to laugh. "Pika-ha-ha-ha!"

"Very funny, Pikachu... very funny..." Ash muttered and let him down onto the floor, where he continued to roll around and get every passer-by's attention.

Then the door opened and the two warriors tensed themselves and stood in some kind of half-salute...

The open door showed Leona and Dawn... The chambermaid glared slightly at the two mercenaries, even if they hadn't done anything bad... intentionally anyway... Dawn, on the other hand, gave him a wink as she walked pass him and continued towards the big hall where she and some other nobilities had decided to meet.

"Oh, brother..." Ash sighed as he realized what had happened, Pikachu gave him a light smack on the back of his head with his, now healed, tail before they started to follow the princess and her friend.

"Hey, Ash, Pikachu! What's wrong?" The two bodyguards' heads snapped up at the voice of the royal advisor.

"Brock? Why should anything be wrong?" Ash looked at his companion, who gulped; they feared that the rumor had been spread.

"I don't know... but you've been awfully quiet-...er... " Brock suddenly reminded that Pikachu and Ash were two beings that tended to communicate with each other only. "Anyway, you've been looking a little down lately."

"I have things on my mind, nothing else." The young man shrugged and then looked at the advisor. "What about you? Shouldn't you attend to your duties or something?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing!" Brock chuckled and made a motion to Dawn and Leona whom had already left. "Can't keep up?"

"Crap!" The two mercenaries hurried after the princess and chambermaid, with the advisor hot on their heels. "Why are you following us?"

"The same reason as you: I'm here to prevent the princess from making any bad decisions!" The slightly older man smirked as he felt his pulse starting to rise.

"What?"

"You've no idea where they're going, don't you?" Brock chuckled once again. "Seriously, Ash... do you never think about the future? Have you always lived in the present? You know, dreaming won't kill you!"

"What do you know about that?" Once again, the two bodyguards' sullen attitude took Brock by surprise, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. "Care to explain?"

"Right..." The advisor paused, as to gather his thoughts. "You know what day it is?"

"Yeah, it's Friday."

"No, not like that..." Brock shook his head, clearly disappointed that Ash didn't know about the great event planned for today. "It's Princess Dawn's birthday!"

Ash didn't answer him; he walked right up to the two girls and spread out his arms, stopping them.

"Hold on..." He glared at them, not caring about the awkward and embarrassed incident that had transpired. "Is it true, is it your birthday today?"

"Why... Yes, Ash... It's my birthday." Dawn answered him, confused at his harsh and suspicious attitude.

"Alright." He nodded and took a deep breath. "First off; Congratulations..." Followed with a: "Pika! Pika-chu!" He then narrowed his gaze. "Secondly; Why haven't I been informed about these events?"

"Chill, Ash!" Dawn laughed and pushed him playfully, only to earn another glare. "Alright! We didn't tell you anything since you'd only do something boring!"

"'Boring'?"

"Yeah! As, trying to not make me go, have me sit down all the time, and so on." Dawn laughed slightly, trying to ease his mood... although, that stone-face didn't budge so easily. "Come on! It's only one evening! What could happen?"

"Do I need to remind you about the Prince of Johto?" Ash growled, clearly not wanting to get stuck in the same situation again. "Princess, I highly advise you to-"

"Forget it, Ash!" Dawn held up her hand in front of his mouth, now taking command. "It only happens once a year, and I'm not going to let you ruin this for me!"

"She's right, you know..." Leona added in, glad that the princess finally had a point against the mercenary. "The princess can't live in a bubble her whole life!"

"But- But... How..." Ash let out a long sigh, he hated it when people beat him... verbally or physically... "Alright... But this cannot go on for too long!"

"Don't worry!"

"And you'll not leave the room."

"Of course not!"

"And you'll not be more than three meters away from me."

"Of-... hey!"

"Ash, I highly advise you to listen at her..." Ash ignored Brock as he started to whisper to him. "The princess will become 18 in a few hours... and that makes her an adult, so she'll be able to order you around too..."

Dawn, Leona and Brock couldn't see any emotions on Ash's face... But Pikachu could tell that his friend was clearly annoyed and pissed off.

"Alright..." He took a deep breath. "I won't follow you in there, as long as you don't leave the room..."

"Deal!" Dawn smiled and then, to exactly everybody's immense confusion, she gave him a hug... "Come on, let's go!"

Leona shook her head, fighting an internal battle... but she still followed Dawn towards the hall. Brock also shook his head, but it was more in amusement as he followed the princess. Pikachu shook his head too, showing disdain for the event that had occurred.

Ash, on the other hand, had a very confused face that was full of many conflicting emotions…He then slapped himself on the cheek, brining himself back to reality.

"Pikachu." The rodent sighed in relief, glad to see his friend back into action. "Follow the princess... do not let her out of sight until I'm back!"

"Pika!" The rodent saluted his friend as he sprinted after the princess.

Ash, on the other hand, started to run in the other direction...

* * *

"Are you ready, lady Dawn?" Brock asked carefully as they were at the big doors to the hall. "Remember now... Many of the people in there may be your good friends, but you still need to show maturity and elegance befitting a princess."

"I know, Brock... I know..." Dawn answered him. She was annoyed that Leona couldn't come in with her... but she suspected that her very good friend saw it as a relief. "Just open the door."

"Alright." Brock smiled as he grabbed the door with both his hands and pushed it open, allowing the slight creaking noise to attract everybody's attention... he then, when it was all quiet in the hall and everyone was looking at them, cleared his throat and said loudly. "Presenting... Lady Dawn Berlitz, Royal Princess of Sinnoh!"

The murmurs started as everybody laid their eyes on her... everyone all had different emotions on their face ranging from pride and admiration to jealousy and even lust.

But Dawn had learned a long time ago to completely ignore their looks and walked, as planned, towards her father so he would be able to give his little speech.

King Cyrus smiled as he took his daughter into a hug, proud to see her turn into a grown woman. He then nodded towards one of his guards, who then raised his halberd and slammed the end of it into the ground... making it silent once again.

"My friends!" Dawn looked up towards her father, her head tilted slightly as he spoke, he had been practicing that speech for several weeks now. "This is a day of joy! This is the day when our princess becomes an adult!"

People started to clap and cheer, some forced some not...

The king waited until it had all calmed down before continuing.

"I want to thank everyone who's graced us with their presence!" Cyrus looked from one person to another, smiling greatly. "It's no coincidence that you've been invited to this big celebration!"

Dawn shook her head... she knew that he had sent out invitations to just about EVERY noble in the region, in the hopes of finding a husband for her... since many of the nobles were related to royal families. She was so deep in thought that she actually missed her father speech.

"-And, with that, I'd like to say... Happy Birthday, Dawn!" The blunette looked around quickly as the room echoed with 'Happy Birthday's. The only thing she could do was to smile sweetly and do an elegant curtsy towards the audience.

"Now..." King Cyrus was really fond with his dramatic pauses... "Let the party begin!"

"Remember, princess..." Brock, who had mysteriously appeared behind her, whispered. "Behave as a royalty should!"

"Don't worry, Brock." Dawn winked at him... only to see some of her friends, squeal, and start running towards them. "Autumn! Marilyn! Rebecca!"

"Princess..." Brock face-palmed as he groaned loudly, Cyrus sending him a strange look...

"Dawn!" Autumn, who had short brown hair and brown eyes, cried out as she saw her royal friend. "So good to see you!"

"Dawnie!" The blunette stopped her sprint as she heard her other friend's very embarrassing nickname for her... "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks, Marilyn..." Dawn sweat-dropped, why did she call her that? "Nice to see you again!"

"Don't forget about me!" A girl with pink hair and eyes and a silver tiara on her head, smiled as she walked towards Dawn. "Let me also say: Happy birthday!"

"Thanks, guys!" Dawn laughed... although, the memory of Leona still not being able to be here still rang in her head. "What have you been up to?"

Marilyn pushed Rebecca forward and winked at the blunette.

"Becky here is engaged!"

"No way!" Dawn's eyes widened as she quickly clasped her hands in front of her mouth. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I am!" Rebecca squealed and showed off her left hand where a beautiful diamond ring adorned of her fingers.

"That's so awesome!" Dawn laughed and hugged her friend, along with Marilyn and Autumn.

"And we heard you also had a little suitor..." Autumn sang in a sing-song voice as she tried to look innocent. "But... he wasn't to your interest?"

"'Interest'?" Dawn got a disgusted look on her face as she began to explain the events that had occurred with Prince Kenny.

And at the end of the story, the other three girls thought as badly about the prince as Dawn did.

"How dare he?" Exclaimed Marilyn, who didn't find that boy so cute anymore... "Who knows what would've happened if your bodyguard hadn't been there?... By the way... is he cute?"

"WHAT?" Dawn's outburst gave the girls an idea to their question. "N-No!"

"Aha, so where is he then?" Rebecca giggled.

"I... don't know..." Dawn was also started to look around, but she couldn't find that raven haired young man. "He told Pikachu to guard me... but I haven't seen him since..."

"Why-"

"Euhm... excuse me, ladies?" All the girls turned towards the taller man, with squint-eyes. "But... King Cyrus sent me to inform you that the dance is about to start."

"Brocky!" Marilyn exclaimed happily and jumped around him. "How've you been! Good? That's nice to hear! Alright! Goodbye!"

"Wait... what?" Brock's frown got even deeper as Autumn looked shyly at him. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, Brock, we did." Dawn nodded, slightly ashamed by her friend's small crush for her father's advisor. "You may leave us."

"Thank you, princess..." Brock bowed, happy to finally get away from his shy, young fan-girl...

He continued to walk away from the scene; He walked towards a door, one of which he had had never been into before in all his years at the castle, as he was curious where it would lead to...

He walked into the room and looked around.

The kitchen... Why were there so many kitchens in this castle?

Brock shook his head and continued to walk through it, many people of varying ages were working there. Some cooked, others sliced, others cleaned and so on...

"Excuse me, sir?" The advisor looked towards the source of the voice and saw a girl of about his age. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, lady, you can..." The squint-eyed man cleared his throat and looked important. "What's your name?"

"It's Theresa..." Said the brown haired girl with purple eyes, her long hair tied up in a knot. "Are you lost?"

"My dear!" Brock quickly got down on one knee and grabbed her hand, hearts in his eyes. "Long have I been lost in the hunt for the love that would fill my heart! But now I've finally found it! Come, let's make two beings a little less lost in the word by-... GAH!"

The advisor fell towards the floor in slow motion...

"I... thought... I... had... lost you..."

"Croa... croa... croa..." Was the only sound the bluish frog made as he dragged the man away from the scene... leaving a VERY confused woman behind them...

* * *

"So, which one's yours?" The man in a black cloak looked at the gray-haired girl who wore some kind of black spandex outfit, two knifes strapped to her sides.

"The one with blue hair, the birthday child..." The mercenary/bodyguard muttered in his corner as he continued to glare at people who passed them. "You?"

"That one!" Ash didn't bother to look in the direction she pointed, he only did some kind of grunt-sound and kept watching Dawn.

"So, you're a bodyguard too?"

"That's right!" She quickly got up and looked very proud. "I may never be sure who spilled the beans, but now that they've been spilled, I'm the super-duper ace bodyguard, Marble!"

"You're not a bodyguard, are you...?" Ash almost yawned at the girl's antics, not at all impressed. "I hope you realize that lying means execution in some regions."

"I'm sorry, sir..." Marilyn looked down, looking deeply ashamed. "I'm a guard in Twinleaf Town... but my cousin is Lieutenant Jenny, and she said that if I just work hard I'll become a bo-"

"Don't become one." Ash shook his head. "It's a dangerous, hard and very boring profession. You should aim at rising through the ranks... at least you can walk anywhere you want and will not need to stand in the same place all day."

"But-"

"I'm serious, don't become one."

"A-alright..." The girl, Marble, sniffed a bit as she got up from her chair and walked out of the hall, leaving Ash to feel a slightly bad about himself.

* * *

Dawn couldn't understand it... it had happened again!

This was probably the sixth dance that she had had tonight... and they all ended in the same way. A boy would and ask if he could dance with her, she would say yes, they would dance for a while, the boy started to feel uncomfortable, and after the dance he thanked her quickly and hurried away... was she a bad dancer? She had taken many lessons, and she had thought that she was good at it...

"Hi, Dawnie!" Marilyn looked at the princess with a frown, even if they had known each other a few years, she would never completely understand her. "What's the matter?"

"It's just..." She paused. "Every time a guy asks me to dance with him, it always ends with him getting all sweaty and then hurries away from me!"

"Oh... you haven't realized it yet?" Marilyn gasped as she held her hands in front of her mouth.

"Realized what?"

"Next time... look at your surroundings while you're dancing!"

"A-alright..." Dawn hesitated. But, as soon as she did said that, a slightly shorter guy with blond hair asked her to dance with him, and she accepted.

They didn't say a word as they did the simple waltz, which Dawn found ridiculously easy. But, she started to feel that the boy she was dancing with tense up, and then she remembered her friend's advice.

The princess looked around as she was being spun around... but, she didn't notice anything strange, that was until she saw a being in a black cloak...

She followed him with her eyes, and she could see that he was tracking her and the boy movements very closely... and, sometimes, he would bring up two of his fingers to his eyes, and then pointed towards the boy she was dancing with... and then he would tense the bow he had in his lap...

"Ash..." Dawn shook her head in both annoyance and amusement. "So, that's why you were away for all this time..."

"D-Did you say something?" The blond guy asked as he eyed the mercenary in the corner carefully. "Do you know that guy?"

"Well, yeah! He's my bodyguard." Dawn couldn't help but giggle as she saw the scared look on the young man's face.

He was lucky that their dance ended quickly... since he hurried away as quickly as his legs could take him.

"Oh, yeah? You wanna play that game...?" Dawn muttered to herself as she made a signal to her lady-friends to rally with her. "Hey, you wanna see who that weird guy is in the corner?"

"Yeah! He's been staring at you the whole night!" Rebecca nodded energetically. "He kinda creeps me out."

"I know... who sits in a ballroom wearing a black cloak with its hood over your head?" Marilyn frowned as she also looked towards the man, who seemed to notice that they were talking about him. "You think prince Kenny sent him?"

"I doubt that." Dawn giggled as she started to walk towards the man. "But, let's ask him."

"What now...?" Ash muttered as he took a firm grip around his bow and looked at the group of girls coming towards him. "I thought she wanted me to stay out of her way..."

He only watched as the girls came closer and closer... until they were about one meter away from him, where they stopped.

"What are you doing here?" The girl with blue hair asked, as she secretly winked at him so only Ash could see. "Who are you?"

"I'm hurt that you don't recognize your own bodyguard, lady Dawn." Ash removed his hood and blinked slightly as the bright light blinded him for a second. "Or... have you already forgotten about me?"

"Aww... you're no fun..." Dawn half-whined at him as he destroyed her little game. She then turned her head towards her friends and let out a deep sigh. "Yeah, he's right... this is my bodyguard, Ash, the man who never laughs."

"Ha... ha... ha..." Was the only thing they could hear from him. He got up and looked at the girls, did a bow and used the standard introduction for any non-royalty. "Greetings, I'm Ash, royal bodyguard to princess Dawn and a knight of Sinnoh."

The noble girls introduced themselves to him, even though some of them only did so halfheartedly since he wasn't a member of any royal family.

"Pika!" The quartet of girls looked towards the sound that came from behind them, and then a yellow blur jumped into the cloaked man's arms. "Pikachu, PikaPi!"

"Yeah, good to see you too, Pikachu." Ash smiled calmly as he rubbed his companion behind its ears. "Any problems?"

"Pikachu, pi-pi chu kachu pi." The rodent exclaimed while he waved his little arms. "Chu, pika ka pi!"

"Good, well, hope the night continues to be this cal-..." Ash stopped himself in his sentence as he realized that the girls still stood there listening to him, all the while looking at him as though he was crazy. "Excuse me... but can I help you?"

"You... talk... to the Pikachu...?" Marilyn looked dumbfounded as she asked that... so dumbfounded in fact that she didn't notice the dark look that settled over his face.

"'The Pikachu'?" He repeated and cleared his throat, to give the half-royal girl a piece of his mind. "Let me tell you-"

"Ash and Pikachu has been friends for a long time!" Dawn, who knew how easily offended her two bodyguards became if they were treated like that. "So he can probably only understand Pikachu, right?"

"Yeah... that's right..." The mercenary didn't want to talk about it any further, especially since he could actually communicate with any pokemon that he desired... with a method that only a very few knew about... "Pikachu and I have been friends for as long as we can remember..."

"That's so cool!" The young man and rodent frowned at Rebecca's statement. "How come-"

They were interrupted by a smattering of applause that echoed throughout the hall, causing all of them to turn towards the little stage that had been set up.

A woman, of around 25 years old, with long green hair and blue eyes, stood on the stage with a red top-hat in her hand. She wore a red vest, the same color as the hat, and held a short black stick in her other hand which had white-colored ends...

Ash watched as she moved the stick towards the hat, gave it a slight poke and then his eyes widened as he saw a Pidgey fly out of it.

"How..." Was the only thing he could say as he and Pikachu looked stunned at the display, they had never seen such thing in their whole life. "How's that..."

But, it didn't end there... She lifted a purple tablecloth into the air, pointed her short staff towards it and seemed to mumble a few words, she then removed it and showed three yellow bell-looking pokemon with different colored ribbons tied to their 'ears'.

"Chingling!" Was the only thing the three pokemon said as the audience gave out thunderous applause. "Ling!"

"A witch..." Ash growled and Pikachu sparked his cheeks as the mercenary tensed his bow. "Princess, get down!"

"No, Ash!" She actually jumped in line of fire, forcing Ash to lower the bow. "She's not a 'witch'! She's a pokemon magician!"

"What's the difference?" The two mercenaries wanted to know as they didn't stop tracking the woman's movements with their eyes, her bell-pokemon had started to sing. "She's trying to hypnotize us!"

"No, listen..." The princess shook her head. She couldn't believe that Ash, who seemed to know everything, didn't know what a magician was. "She's not doing any real magic, it's only illusions!"

"Not a witch?"

"No, not a witch! Seriously, what's up with you and witches?" Dawn sighed and shook her head once again. "Dad hired her to do a performance during the party, as a kind of birthday gift for me!"

"Alright..." The raven haired young man seemed to have accepted it for the moment, even though he still kept a watchful eye on the woman on stage. "Then... why don't you go and take part in it?"

"I will, don't worry." The blunette winked at him as she then started to run towards the scene.

Ash got a quick flashback of the events that had occurred a few hours ago... He tried to get rid of the image, to concentrate on his job... but, it wouldn't go away.

"Do you think the princess has starting to develop feelings for me, Pikachu?" Ash asked carefully, not wanting his friend to make fun of him.

"Pikachu?" The rodent looked at him like he was stupid or something like that. "Pika, chu chu chupika!"

"Really?" He let out a long sigh. "Seriously... what's up with me and princesses?"

* * *

The show had just ended as Dawn and her friends started to chat with each other about it... or, at least that's what Dawn would've wanted them to do...

"I don't know if I can trust that Ash-guy..." Marilyn pondered, more to herself than to the others. "I mean, he seems like a big brute!"

"I think he's kinda cute!" Autumn stated, but got slightly flustered as she received looks from the others. "W-What?"

"You think every boy you meet is cute, Autumn..." Rebecca shook her head, amused with her friend. "But I would say... he's rather attractive. A nice change from all those other boys who are scared of getting so much as a little dirt on their shoes... But... appearances can be deceiving..."

"Nope, he's the real deal!" Dawn beamed as she said those words, although she didn't do that after her friends looked at her with disbelief. "Alright, let me tell you something that happened a few weeks ago: It all started with me running off again and..."

So she told the about the story about her latest attempt to run away, how she had gotten to the lake, got attacked by the Gyarados, how Ash had charged into the heat of battle, how he had told her to run, and how he came back on a stretcher on the brink of death... she might have exaggerated her story just a little though...

"Wow..." Was the only thing Marilyn could say. "I didn't... expect that... from him... Excuse me, I'm going to speak with-... Hey! What's the big deal?"

"You're NOT going to seduce MY bodyguard!" The blunette stated stubbornly, as though she was protecting a toy. "He's mine! I mean... no, he works with me- or..."

"It's alright, Dawn, we understand." Rebecca nodded knowingly. Dawn let out a sigh of relief. "We know that you've fallen for this guy!"

"WHAT?" Dawn's scream was so loud that some people turned towards her, and the young man and rodent got up from their seats... only to sit themselves down again as they saw there was no danger. The blunette continued in a softer voice. "I've NO idea what you're talking about!"

"Alright, it's free game for you, Marilyn." Rebecca winked at her friend. And Marilyn, who got the wink, smiled as she playfully made her way towards the mysterious mercenary... only to be pulled back by her blunette-friend. "What's wrong, Dawn?... Something not right...?"

"Alright! Alright!" Dawn breathed heavily in frustration and embarrassment, as she felt her face fluster. "I don't want you to go and talk to him."

"Because...?" Those girls really wouldn't let her slip away so easily.

"Because, I... care... for him." The princess cursed her red face as she spoke those words, but they weren't satisfying enough for her friends.

"'Care'?"

"Okay, I like him!"

"'Like'?"

"I'm NOT going to go any further than that!" Dawn roared at them, actually making them back away a bit... however, they soon regained their composure and smiled knowingly.

"Fine, then talk to him." Rebecca encouraged her friend, really wanting her to find a boy she likes since she suspected that she was afraid to commit herself to just anyone. "I mean, what's the worst thing that could happen?"

"I'm going..." The princess sighed as she smoothed out her dress and took another deep breath, and started to walk towards the young man.

"_What's wrong with you?_" The voice echoed in Dawn's head over and over again, her palms felt sweaty. "_You're a PRINCESS you have nothing to worry about! He's a mercenary! Sure, he saved your life, but you can't just fall for hi-... NO! I'm NOT falling for him! He's a friend, a very good friend, a friend who I want to-... STOP IT!_"

Seconds that felt like minutes later, she stood face to face to him, neither of them saying a thing as they looked at each another.

"Umm... Hello..." Dawn felt her face turn a crimson as she forced her eyes not to look down towards the ground. "How... are you... doing...?"

"Everything alright, princess?" The mercenary could tell from her aura that she was distressed, was she feeling threatened? "You have something on your chest?"

"WHAT? I mean-... No, I think-... Why should I..." Dawn stopped rambling on as the young man got up from his chair and held a finger to her lips, calming her down and making her take a deep breath. "Thank you... I was saying: Why are you sitting here? Why not have some fun while you're here?"

"No thank you, princess." The cloaked man bowed slightly, disappointing her. "I never mix duty and entertainment."

"Yeah, I can see that..." Dawn muttered as she glared at him with a soft look. "When was the last time you had fun?"

"It was-... Alright, this isn't about me here." Ash tried to change the subject as he couldn't figure out a logical answer to her question. "It's my job to guard you, and it's your job to have fun."

"I will... if..." She leaned towards him, and whispered in his ear so Pikachu couldn't hear. "... if you dance with me."

"W-What?" She had never seen Ash so surprised or embarrassed since she met him. "I-I... That's highly inappropriate, princess."

"You don't want to?" The princess put on a face that was so adorable that the mercenary had to bite his lower lip discretely to not smile.

"It's... not... what I... want..." He breathed heavily. "I'm saying that... Your father's orders are strict, and I need to obey them."

"So..." Dawn seemed to ponder for a few seconds. "If he now changes them... will you dance with me?"

"Absolutely, princess." The mercenary smiled, he knew for sure that it was a thing her father wouldn't do, he could bet his sword on it. "It's only a shame that we know that King Cyrus will never do such things."

"Yeah, I know..." The blunette also smiled, even if it was for a different reason. "Do you know what time it is?"

"It's soon to be midnight, isn't that right-..." Ash's eyes widened when he realized what was going to happen. "No... no, you wouldn't dare..."

As soon as he said those words, several trumpets and other instruments started to play, to celebrate the day the princess turned 18...

"Sir Ash, knight of Sinnoh!" The mercenary gulped as he looked up towards the princess who was looking very commanding. "As a royalty of age of the halls of Sinnoh: I hereby command you to have this dance with your princess!"

Ash tried to sink down into his seat as everyone's eyes fell onto the very odd couple...however ... Dawn drew him up from his seat and forced him to stand up.

The knight looked towards the king, looking for support with his eyes, pleading... Unfortunately, the king seemed to translate his look as if seeking permission to dance with his daughter... So that's why Ash doubled his initial estimate for his pay in his head, as the king smiled towards his daughter with a nod.

"I've got to warn you, princess." He tried every way possible to get out of this situation. "I have never actually danced in my whole life and-"

"Oh, Ash... It's not that hard." She winked at him as she grabbed his right hand with her left and put her right on his back. "Put your left hand on my hip."

"On your-..." The mercenary closed his eyes as he let out a deep sigh and did as he was told, he mumbled a silent prayer to Ho-Oh as he felt something soft. "There."

"Good, now, follow me." With those words, she started to slowly move her feet, so Ash could understand how it went. "Listen to the rhythm of the music."

He tried to do that... however, he almost tripped on his very long cloak, causing some of the spectators to chuckle at him and him to growl dangerously.

"You have to get rid of the cloak, Ash." Dawn whispered to him, but when he shook his head, she said: "I order you."

The mercenary got an embarrassed look over his face as he dropped the cloak to the ground, showing that he was actually wearing some normal clothes underneath...

Dawn and the crowd around them gasped as they saw Ash in a silken white shirt that was done to his elbows, a pair of black leather shoes and some black pants, still a little too baggy for most people.

"A-Ash..." Even if his clothes weren't that 'fabulous' or outstanding, it was still a very nice change to see the mercenary dress like a normal person for once. "It looks great!"

"Thank you, Lady Dawn." Ash bowed, and was about to leave. "Seems like we're done here."

"Oh, no!" Dawn grabbed his arm and pulled him back, causing them get into dance-position again. "I don't care if people laugh or not, I will teach you to dance no matter how long it takes!"

"As you wish, Lady Dawn." Ash sighed and prepared himself for a life-time of embarrassment.

And, true to his thoughts, it was only a few seconds later when Dawn wince as he accidentally stepped on her feet and made him feel terrible about himself.

"I'm truly sorry, princess!" Ash bowed deeply, wanting to quit while he still had some sanity. "I think there's no hope for me in this thing."

"Ash..." She growled at him... not because he stepped on her foot, but because he was trying to get away at every chance that he could. "I command you to continue doing this until you get the hang of it!"

"But, princess, I-..." Ash stopped himself as he felt the rodent jump onto his shoulder, smack him in the back of his head, and then whisper some things hastily in his ear. "Really?" Pikachu nodded and jumped down, only to rush back towards the wall so he wouldn't get stepped on...

"Alright." Dawn smiled to herself as she saw Ash straighten his back and put on one of the usual brave looks that he usually had on his face. "It's time to do this!"

He then grabbed Dawn's hand and spun her around, causing her to come close into him as the dance continued.

* * *

People who had stood there to see Ash make a fool out of himself dispersed soon enough, and the people who wanted to see him succeed soon came towards them and formed a ring around them. The people of Sinnoh were starting to believe that Arceus himself had bestowed the royal knight with some amazing dancing skills as he danced like he had done it when he was a kid... even Dawn was starting to think it was so.

"Ash...?" She whispered carefully, making sure that only he heard. "How do you do that?"

But he didn't answer her... or rather, he mumbled something that she couldn't hear, so she leaned closer to him and heard it...

"Attack, withdraw, avoid, attack, withdraw, avoid, attack, withdraw, circle, attack..." She smiled to herself, she now knew what Pikachu had said to the young man... Since it was pretty clear that Ash would never learn to dance the conventional way, he decided to use his own method... his method of combat... "Huh? Did you say something, princess?"

"No, nothing at all!" Dawn smiled sweetly, feeling really proud of him, until she eyed him. "Where's your sword? I've never seen you without a weapon?"

"I left the bow in the corner..." She didn't know if Ash spoke slowly to focus or to think of what he did with the weapons. "And I've hidden the sword somewhere in the castle."

"So, you're finally unarmed?" The blunette asked with a relieved smile, maybe there was still hope for the man. "That's a nice change."

"I'm sorry, princess..." Ash smiled apologetically as he took the princess's hand away from his back and put it on his thigh, causing several people to gasp, as Dawn blushed as she something hard and metallic under the thin fabric of his pants. "But I never go unarmed."

"You-You're carrying a... knife...?" Dawn asked, as she had quickly withdrew her hand and put it back onto his back as they continued with their dancing.

"It's a short-sword." Now, when Dawn looked a little closer, she could actually see how his right leg didn't move as fluidly as his left leg, and that it seemed a little stiffer. "I will always be armed, so long as I suspect your life's in danger."

"Oh, Ash..." The mercenary had of course no idea what he was saying, since he only spoke the truth. He had never cared much for love or any such emotions, except honor and friendship, so that's why he became slightly confused when he heard the girl talk with such a soft voice... but he tried to ignore it and keep on dancing. "The song's about to end, do you know how to finish it?"

"What are you taking me for, an idiot?" Ash smiled as he now imagined the rhythm in his head, it was only a matter of seconds until it would end. "Alright, let's do this: Attack, attack, withdraw, circle, withdraw, attack and... finish!"

With his last word, he lightly kicked away the blunette's legs, causing her to fall to the floor. But then he quickly caught her in his arms, so it looked like a perfect ending to any dance.

A storm of applause was heard as the couple had stopped dancing. Even if the applause was not strictly for the two of them, as many other people had also joined in the dance, but there were many... many jealous looks being sent towards Ash since he had to honor to dance with the beautiful princess, especially since he was but a simple servant!

"Wow..." Was the only thing the blunette could say as she looked at the raven haired young man in front of her. "Ash... you're very good!"

"Thank you, princess." Ash did a deep bow, before he returned to his usual corner in the room and continued to glare at passer-bys who let their gazes linger on the princess for any period of time.

Dawn only stood there, dumbfounded, as she looked in her bodyguard's direction, that she didn't notice her friends run up to her and started speaking in excited tones.

"Dawnie! That was so cute!" The princess let out a short shriek as she felt herself get hugged from behind by Marilyn, causing her to jump. "Sorry!"

"Don't do that!" The princess breathed heavily as she said those words, both in annoyance and fright. "I almost got a heart-attack!"

"Sorry, Dawn, but we couldn't resist." Rebecca smiled calmly, since she was some years older than the others. "I just got a flashback when I saw you and Ash dance... it reminded me about mine and my fiancé's first dance!"

"Becca, stop it!" Dawn's face got all flustered for the hundredth time tonight, as she thought of the possibility of her and the mercenary together. "He's just a friend that I'm very fond of!"

"Whatever you say..." Autumn giggled slightly, and then she got a serious look. "But you should keep this in mind: King Cyrus is getting impatient, all the royal princes are being taken up and there's no way he's going to let you marry a non-royal as long as he can do something about it... And, from what I've heard, Ash is a famous mercenary, he's mostly known for his crazy habit to take on the most impossible and dangerous missions ever, so you can't take him for granted..."

"Don't talk like that!" The blunette snapped at her friend, but then she realized that she was right and let out a long and drawn sigh. "Tell me; What do I do?"

"You need to show him that you're more than a princess, Dawn." Rebecca encouraged her. "Show him that you're strong and independent, especially without your servants!"

"Alright." The royalty of Sinnoh got up and looked determinedly towards the raven haired young man. "That's exactly what I'm going to do!"

**End of chapter 11**

**

* * *

**

**I can't believe I'm saying this... but there's a possibility that the next chapter won't come for a while... the school's starting now and they really like to watch us work our butts off...**

**It came actually as a surprise to me when I realized that, through all the story, I had never put a 'Brock-runs-after-ladies'-moment! So, I just had to put one in!**

**Will Ash come to accept Dawn's feelings towards him? Or will he reject her and move onto the next mission? Only the next chapter'll tell... alright, maybe not the next chapter, since then it would be rushed... but, maybe some chapters later!**

**By the way, I've two questions for you:**

**1. When I keep the word-limit under 10k, I get complains that it's too short... but, actually, the reviews are many more and more evolved as criticism... While, if it goes over 10k, I don't hear a thing about it... can someone care to explain, since I prefer to read 5-7k words in a chapter, 10k is too much to read on a computer-screen.**

**2.  
****My shiny version is NOT in MM's sig,**  
** I'm constantly eating like a pig.**  
** Unlike my evo, I won't sleep that much,**  
** So I can eat more food and such.  
What am I(pokemon)?**

**It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

**R&R!  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Right... I'm not too sure how to apologize for being kinda late with the update... How about: "I'm sorry"? :)**

**Now... Let me scold you a bit, too:  
There's really not so much of a point to ask when I'm going to update, by leaving an anonymous review.  
Also, to the reader "**Tubuluates Fernandes**", it's alright if you don't read my story... I've no wish to write for those who doesn't even know how to control his/her language or temper. **

**Now... I would've liked to somehow give you some update-info, apart from my profile... However, the rules of FF states that you shouldn't post a chapter that only consist of an Author's Note (I was surprised when I read that, too) and I don't want to break rules without a reason :P  
**

**Let's not forget the right answer to the riddle: Munchlax! Very good, those who got it right!**

**I think I'll be able to update every Friday/Saturday now... As long as there isn't any major hindrance that's keeping me from updating.  
Anyway, let's go back to the story!**

**A big thanks for Justicez, for correcting my horrible grammar (apart from the Author's Notes)!  
**

**_NOTE_! The end of this chapter might contain very heavy violence... So:  
Reader Discretion is Advised! (I've always wanted to do that ^^)  
**

**I hope you'll enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!**

* * *

"Please, Ash?"

"No!"

"Pleeeease?" Dawn looked at him with her lip stuck out in a pout, a look that was impossible for any normal male to resist...

"No."

Ash had no idea what was up with the princess... she had started to behave like that after the ball, when she had suddenly asked him to take her camping... The two mercenaries knew of the dangers outside, so they had immediately declined her request. She had tried to command them, but they simply went to the king who stated that as long as Sir Ash and Sir Pikachu consider it a threat, he would not allow it.

In other words: Dawn had to do her best to try and get the near-emotionless mercenary to change his mind... and so far, it was proving fruitless.

"Come on!" For the umpteenth time, Dawn whined at him. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"You could hurt yourself, get kidnapped, killed, mauled, b-"

"Alright, alright!" Dawn had forgotten that Ash had a hard time understanding the word 'Irony'. "But, please, can't we go?"

"As I've said before and will always continue to say...: NO!" Even Pikachu was starting to get tired on the princess's nagging, she just couldn't be quiet about that... "What in the world made you want to go out camping so suddenly?"

"I-I-..." The bluenette had no idea how to answer the question since she refused to tell him that she had a tiny crush on him. "I just... it's been a long time since I was out of the castle walls, that's all!"

"Alright." Dawn felt her hope rise, her spirit felt free and- "We can go to the castle's garden."

"No! You don't understand!" The princess didn't like to argue with Ash, but he was just so dense! "I want to camp outside! OUTSIDE the castle walls!"

"Really? Why's that?" Ash crossed his arms and looked at the girl in front of him.

"I don't want to be here anymore!"

"You're a princess, you should get used to this." Ash's stern voice rang out.

"Listen!" Dawn's eyes flared and she tossed her arms into the air, not caring if she looked strange. "I don't care! I want to leave place! I suffocate in here! I hate the royal-life!"

Ash's eyes widened for a moment as a memory came back into his head...

A faint memory, a memory of a boy with black hair on his tenth birthday... walls, two middle-aged men and another ten year old boy... a room of stone... they were waiting for someone... and the princess's words reminded the mercenary of something the raven haired child had said a long time ago...

"Alright." The bluenette's eyes snapped up when she heard him speak. He looked at her with a kind smile. "I'll talk to the king, I understand that you're tired of being here."

Pikachu then jumped over onto Dawn's shoulder as Ash left without another word.

"Do-... Do you understand what he meant... Pikachu...?"

"Pika!" The rodent nodded, happily. "Pikachu, pi-pi ka chu-kaa!"

"... what...?"

The rodent fell off the princess's shoulder at those words, frustrated...

* * *

"My king!" Cyrus's head lifted up slowly as he heard the knight's voice. "Request permission to speak!"

"You may speak, Sir Ash." Cyrus looked calmly at him as the knight knelt before him. "Please, stand up."

"I have a request, sire!" Ash cleared his throat... although, the king got started before Ash could say anymore.

"I already know what you're going to say, Sir Ash." The middle-aged man took a deep breath. "I'm sorry... I respect you a great deal, and you're always welcome here. But... I can't let you have my daughter's hand in marriage, even if you love each other."

"Sire..." Ash stared at him. "If you excuse me... but, what... in... Hoenn... are you talking about?"

"I thought you were here to ask me for permission to marry my daughter, isn't that right?" Cyrus was used to dismissing many men who came for the same purpose, so he wasn't embarrassed at all.

"Umm... no..." Ash's face paled. "I... was going to ask you if I can have your permission to take the princess to camp, outside the castle..."

"Oh..."

"Yeah..."

Even if Ash usually enjoyed uncomfortable silence, this was one that he didn't like... what in the world would've made the king think that he was going to propose to the princess?... And why didn't he think Ash was worthy enough...?

"You may..." The king had a slight hint of red on his cheeks as he cleared his throat. "You may bring her outside the castle, as long as you keep watching over her."

"Thank you, sire." Ash was most thankful to get away from the hall, as he hurried out as fast as he could without looking like he was affected by what the king said.

* * *

"Oh, look at that one! No, that one! Oh, and that!" Ash felt his blood boil as they walked through the market, on their way towards city's gate "Oh, wait! That looks totally adorable!"

"Please... my Lady..." The princess had been darting around like crazy, especially since they passed through the market... "We're only passing through this place, not stopping to get anything."

The mercenary praised himself for his own decision to make the royal wear a brown cloak, hiding her true identity from the public. He didn't even dare to guess what kind of havoc it would create if the townspeople found out that the princess of Sinnoh was walking in their market...

"Can we buy that, Ash? Can we?" Well, at least he was right about one thing: The princess acted like a child as soon as she was out of the castle... but it wasn't all that strange though, she was used to getting everything she wanted and probably barely knew the value of money. "Hold up! You're missing the cutest things ever!"

"It's a wooden spoon, my lady." Ash lectured her as he had grabbed her hand and started to drag her away from the place. "Carved from the darkest forest of Sinnoh and sent here, one of the most popular markets around."

"I... see..." The bluenette mumbled, more to herself than to Ash and Pikachu... but her mood quickly did a 180. "Look! Have you ever seen such a cute dress?"

"I've seen a lots of things, my lady." Ash was careful of not using the princess's royal title or name. "Let's go, we can't linger here."

"Now, what kind of mercenary are you, Ash?" The princess stopped and put her hands on her hips, glaring at him from under her brown hood. "Can't you enjoy yourself just for one minute?"

He tried to silence her, but it was too late... People had heard "Ash" and "Mercenary" in the same sentence, and could easily put two and two together...

Sure, he had stayed at the castle for almost a year now... But he had made sure that very few people actually saw him around. That's why hearing his name made the townsfolk immediately take notice.

But the young man wasn't one to be swayed by fear or fame... He grabbed the girl by the hand and lead her determinedly towards the closest exit... and they were so close to getting to it, if it hadn't been for-...

"Stop him! Don't let him get away!" Ash quickly turned his head towards the unknown voice... "I've finally found you!"

A man, looking slightly younger than Ash, with brown eyes and teal colored hair, came running towards him... Ash could see that he had bad eyesight, since he had his eyes half-closed... He didn't recognize the shorter man.

"Can I help you?" Ash's hand slowly went towards his sword's hilt, since he felt the hatred in the young man's aura.

"You killed my sister!" The townspeople in the vicinity gasped as they heard him, their gaze now directed towards Ash. "You'll pay for what you did!"

"Who are you?" The mercenary looked at him with pure dislike, who was he to blame him for something he didn't know about? "Give me your name!"

"I'm Maxwell Maple! Brother to May Maple, the one you killed!" The teal-haired boy breathed heavily. "It took me years to track you down... but now I've finally found you!"

"Oh, that..." Ash suddenly remembered his old mission. "No, you got it all wrong. Actually your sister hired me to kill her fiancé, and I did that... It wasn't my fault that Hoenn has a Widow-Burning tradition."

"LIES!" The bodyguard narrowed his gaze on the younger man as he saw him draw out a sword. "You killed her! My father and mother grieved for her so much that they couldn't continue to live! You killed her, and I lost everything!"

"Calm down!" Ash warned as he too had drawn his own sword, glaring at the boy. "There's no need for any of us to get into a fight... what's done is done. You can't bring them back, and I can't undo what has already happened."

"Shut up!" Maxwell charged the mercenary with his sword lifted high, already giving Ash at least ten options of how he was going to kill him. Maxwell had a wild and crazy look on his face as he brought his sword down, intent on cleaving the mercenary in half.

But, the mercenary always kept his bloodshed to a minimum... So he just brought up his sword to parry the attack, causing the two swords to clash together with a resounding clang... Ash then did his signature move and kicked his opponent's legs from under him as he grabbed the sword from his opponent's hand... leaving the boy unarmed with his back to the ground, the Sword of Kanto's edge mere millimeter from his throat.

"Surrender." Maxwell looked up towards the older man, who had an emotionless expression. "I'm sorry about your sister... but I had nothing to do with it."

"YOU LIE!" The boy on the ground couldn't do anything, he just glared at the mercenary with hate. "Even if it takes me a month, or a year, or even a lifetime... I will kill you!"

"Get in line." Ash stated as he made a waving gesture and got a guard's attention, who saluted him. "This man tried to kill me... and is a threat to the princess..." He added in a quiet whisper, so only the guard heard him. "Take him to the dungeons!"

"Yes, sir!" The man with short blond hair lift the young man up roughly and dragged him towards the prison, causing Maxwell to kick and curse at Ash the whole way...

"Disperse!" The mercenary's commanding tone, and Pikachu's sparking cheeks, caused the townspeople to quickly move out of his way and go back to their duties... leaving only Dawn standing there dumbfounded.

"Ash... that sword..." Dawn hadn't been able to get a good look on his claymore before this, but now that she had seen it up close… "It's-"

"Come, my Lady." Ash grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the gates. "We can't linger here any longer."

* * *

"Tell me!"

"No!"

For the second time today, they were in a huge argument with each another... Dawn had wanted Ash to tell her about his past, since just about nobody knew about it. She wanted him to tell her about the royal sword that he wielded, the young man who had attacked him, and several other things as well... But, of course, she had not gotten any kind of answer from him.

"Why don't you just tell me?" Dawn stood at the lake where she had gone out for a swim several weeks ago. But it was changed now, pokemon had started to come to back it and the wind blew slightly. On Ash's order, the soldiers had dragged the corpse of the Gyarados to the middle of the lake and let her sink there, allowing it to be out of sight to anyone who came there... "Come on!"

"Are you going to help me, or not?" Ash really didn't want to answer her... and he couldn't talk to Pikachu since the rodent had walked away to look for some food. "It was your idea to not bring any other people with us, and I doubt that you'll want to sleep like how I normally do when I'm outdoors..."

"Yes, I do!" The mercenary looked towards the princess with a raised eyebrow. "I can sleep outside like you do."

"Alright..." The raven haired young man was clearly impressed by the girl's answer. He had expected her to say that she needed her own room, a table, a wardrobe and so on. "Right, we need a fire... so you can start by gathering any sticks and small branches that you may find."

"Got it!" That young woman seemed really eager to do her task, which was unusual for the princess... "Where can I find it?"

"Umm..." The mercenary couldn't help but sweat-drop as he made a gesture towards the forest around them. "Take a guess..."

"The... woods...?"

"Yeah, the woods..."

"Oh..." The princess felt her face flush bright red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Less talk, more action." Ash smiled to himself as he finally found a chance to use one of his favorite quotes. "The night will come in a few hours and, trust me, you don't want to sleep without a good fire..."

"Understood!" Dawn quickly hurried away towards the woods, determined to do her best to impress the young man.

"Pika!" Ash turned his head towards the rodent, which came out on the other side of the little clearing they had decided to camp in. "Chu, PikaPi!"

"Really? Nothing...?" The rodent shook its head. "Damn... Alright, this is not going to be a pretty sight..."

As he muttered under his breath, he withdrew his bow that was slung across his body and started to walk in the same direction that the rodent came from.

"Guard the place, the princess should come back any minute now." The two friends nodded at each other before the human disappeared into the shadows of the woods...

* * *

"Where are you...?" Ash muttered to himself when he sneaked around, an arrow drawn on his bow as he scouted the terrain. "Come out, come out, wherever you are..."

A twig snapped, causing him to quickly turn around and tense the bow as he aimed.

Nothing...

"Who's hunting who...?" The young man smirked, glad to know that his target was equally determined to get him as he was to get it. "Show your cute little face..."

Ash quickly turned around and let his arrow fly towards the pink blur behind him... miss...

"Damn!" The mercenary cursed his luck as he saw the pink blur circle around him, it was impossible to hope that he could hit it now... He drew his claymore. "Bring it!"

"Mooo!" Many people would've laughed at others who considered the pink cow-looking pokemon a threat... but Ash was one of the few who knew about the real dangers about them. "Moo!"

Out came a Milktank, running straight towards him with her two black horns down. Ash growled as he raised his sword over his head and braced his legs for the attack... one misstep and he was finished... but one right step and she was finished...

Closer and closer she charged... But Ash knew that wasn't all she was going to do...

True to word, about twenty meters from him, the pink pokemon rolled itself up into a ball and charged towards him in a rollout.

"Three... two... One!" Ash mustered all his strength and swung the sword to his right as he moved his left foot. He could feel his arms shake as it came into contact with the charging cow... but he didn't let go of his weapon. He could hear the creature cry out in pain and agony as the sword went through it... Until it finally collapsed onto the ground, lifeless... "That was a close one..." The hunter took a deep breath.

* * *

"Pi?" The rodent's ears twitched as he heard something approached their camping spot, causing him spark his cheeks and stand on its four legs. "Pika! Pikachu-pi!"

"Calm down, Pikachu, it's just me." The rodent relaxed as he heard his partner's voice. "Come and give me a hand, will you?"

"Pika!" The yellow mouse-pokemon spurted towards his friend as he saw him come dragging a large mass of a cadaver... the rodent got a disgusted look on its little face. "Pikachu? Pika-pi, PikaPi?"

"Don't worry, I haven't forgot you..." Ash simply made a motion towards the Milktank's teats. "You might want to turn around... this is going to get ugly..."

Pikachu nodded as he gulped and turned around when the raven haired mercenary drew out his already bloody sword and got to work. He decided that it would be best to leave PikaPi to his job, so the rodent started to walk in the direction of where the princess should've come back from a long time ago... why wasn't he surprised that the girl most likely had gotten herself lost?

The yellow mouse hadn't really played a big part in the relationship between PikaPi and Princess Dawn... he had been more like a bystander, since he figured that human emotional problems should only affect humans.

Pokemon had something that humans would never be able to have, and that's the ability to see if someone really cares for the other person, and Pikachu thinks it's ridiculous that his PikaPi, who has battled all kinds of creatures and humans, couldn't figure out that the girl clearly had strong feelings for him. However... Ash was a master of hiding things, so it could be that he did know about it, but tried to ignore it...

It was amusing, Pikachu shook his little head with a slight smile, he and PikaPi had been close friends since as long as they could remember... they could read almost all kind of beings... except for each other, not since-... No, PikaPi tried to forget that past, and so would Pikachu... even though the rodent surely missed those times... missed the older raven haired man and his pokemon who had trained them... missed Luc-...

The rodent's ears perked up once again, as he heard some rustling in the bushes, but he didn't need to be on alert... he could easily hear that it was the princess's inexperienced steps in the forest. Its a good thing that she's finally back.

"Hi, Pikachu!" The little mouse smiled at the girl, trying to look cute as usual, if she only knew how many men he had killed in cold blood.. "Is Ash here?" Oh, thanks for noticing Pikachu... The rodent frowned, he would never understand how humans cared more for each other than for other pokemon... all humans except PikaPi, of course.

Pikachu suddenly remembered what PikaPi was doing, and he knew that the princess wouldn't take it very well... he quickly turned around and sighed in relief, seems like PikaPi was done with the cadaver and had gotten rid of it.

"Greetings, princess." Ash smiled calmly, although he soon got a frown on his face. "What's wrong with your hand?"

"What? Oh, I just cut myself..." Dawn rubbed her head sheepishly with her good hand, the other was slight bloody. "But, I got the wood!"

"Very good, Lady Dawn." The mercenary got up and took her hand carefully and examined it. "It's a small cut, but we better do something about it, so it doesn't get infected."

"Alright, what're you-..." Dawn's eyes shot open with surprise as she felt the mercenary's lips on her hand and was... sucking it...? "A-Ash... what... what are you... doing?"

The young man didn't answer her, he just let removed his mouth from her wound and spat onto the ground.

"Pardon me, princess." He did a short bow towards her. "But I had to remove the dirt and bark inside it."

"Why-Why..." Dawn's face was absolutely beet-red. "Why... didn't you just wash my hand in the lake...?"

"Didn't think about that..." Ash now realized that it would've been a much wiser decision. "Good thinking, princess."

Dawn didn't know what she was most angered about... that the young man had literally sucked her hand without permission, that he walked towards the water with some grass in his hand as though nothing had happened, or that, deep down, she kinda enjoyed it...

"Pikachu! Pika-pi!" The rodent hurried towards Ash with some kind of soft material.

"Good job, Pikachu." Ash smiled at him as he took the cloth-patch and also wet it in the lake. "Where did you find-... Oh... you owe me a new cloak..."

"Pika-hahaha!" Was the only thing that came out of the yellow mouse as he rolled around onto the ground, seemingly pretty satisfied with managing to cut out a little bit of Ash's black cloak...

"Right, enough fooling around." Ash muttered as he also saw that Dawn had started to giggle. "Time to wrap that wound of yours up."

The princess felt chills down her spine as he took her hand and started to caress it slowly and softly as he wrapped the improvised bandage on her hand... that's at least that's the scene that she was playing in her head...

"Done!" Ash looked proudly at the neatly wrapped piece of cloth around her hand. "But I do advise you to let Miss Leona look at it when we get back to the castle."

"Yeah, that's a good-... Did you hear that?" Dawn quickly looked around as she heard another growling noise. "What IS that?"

"That..." The mercenary cleared his throat, a slight blush visible on his face. "Was our dinner-alarm."

"'Dinner-alarm'..?" Dawn frowned, she had never heard of something like that...

"It was my stomach, alright?"

"Oh..."

The mercenary just muttered as he walked towards the camp.

Ash decided to break the uncomfortable silence by ramming two sticks into the ground, on either side of the now burning fire. He then took another stick and stuck some meat-chunks onto it, which left Dawn puzzled as she didn't remember him packing any meat on him, before he then placed the chunks over the fire, creating a spit.

"So..." Dawn sat herself down next to Ash by the fire as she looked at the cooking meat. "When can we eat?"

"It may take twenty minutes, or so..." Ash pondered for a moment as he looked straight up. "We've been lucky, so far, there's not a cloud in the sky..."

"Yeah, yeah." The princess said quickly as she dismissed his failed attempt of trying to start up a conversation. "I think it's time that you tell me: Why did that guy attack you?"

"None of your business."

"Stop it!" Ash frowned as he glanced at the enraged girl next to him. "I'm sick of that! You think you are so tough when you keep that cold and mysterious attitude! Let me tell you: It's pathetic! You seem more of a coward that's ashamed of his past rather than a strong warrior with a heroic history! SO STOP AVOIDING MY QUESTIONS!"

Neither the mercenary, nor rodent, made any reaction to the princess's outburst... Dawn could only guess why... until...

"You are right." The blunette felt her hopes go up. "I am ashamed of my past and that is why I am not telling you about it... I am not a strong warrior, nor have I ever been one... Just because you are good at handing a sword and bow, it doesn't make you a warrior, I have no honor except the one of never retreating in fear of losing... I have seen and done things that many people would just run from me if they heard. So, you are right, I am pathetic, but I hardly think you could blame me if you knew the whole story."

"And, what's the whole story, Ash?" Dawn smiled sweetly at him, encouraging him to tell her. "It's alright to tell me you know, I'll not judge you."

"The story..." Ash looked at the rodent, who nodded shortly. Then back at the princess, whose eyes was sparkling in the sun which was setting. "Is... none of your concern, princess."

"Fine, if that's how much you trust me..." Dawn didn't sound angry, nor depressed, just greatly disappointed. "I'll just leave you to your dark thoughts... I'm heading back to the castle."

The raven haired young man only watched as she got up from her seating-position and started to walk back towards the tall construct that was quite some distance away. He then looked towards the pokemon again, who only looked at him with a tilted head and a weak smile... Ash took a deep breath.

"15 years ago..." Dawn turned around and looked at the emotionless man who stared straight into the fire. "Pikachu, who was a Pichu then, and I lived in a small town in Kanto..."

The princess walked slowly towards the young man and sat herself next to him, looking encouragingly at him with kind eyes. She actually had suspected him to be from Kanto due to his height and tanned skin.

"We don't remember much from that time..." Ash never once looked at the princess, he only kept staring into the fire. "Some faint memories, just... but, we met another friend there. I would say the three of us became best friends... until our village was attacked by plunderers..."

"Ash... I'm so sorry." Dawn knew that her words didn't give him any comfort, but she wanted him to know that she was there for him. "It must've been hard on you."

"Not as hard as you could think." Of course Dawn was right, but Ash hated to show himself as a weak person. He unsheathed his sword, which was now clean, and handed it to the princess. "You were right about one thing... this truly is the 'Sword of Kanto'..."

Dawn's eyes widened as she carefully held it, she had heard that it had been destroyed a long time ago! And why was it so heavy?

"I did not steal it, if that's what you're thinking..." For the first time since the tale began, Ash broke his gaze from the fire and looked at the bluenette. "I won't tell you the full story, but the village-elder's last words before he died was that I should take the sword with me when we ran away from the village."

"But how did you escape?" Dawn asked carefully, not wanting him to stop explaining to her. "If your village was attacked, then I can't imagine how you got out from there alive."

"We wouldn't have..." Ash paused as he thought about how to phrase his next sentence. "But a man came and rescued us... but that didn't save my mother..."

"Ash, I'm so s-"

"I know, you're sorry. So am I..." Ash glanced at her, a hint of annoyance in his words... but he let out another sigh and continued. "Anyway, the man took me to... a wealthy family and life went on..."

"I see..." Dawn knew that he was still hiding things from her, but she wanted to know more. "But, when and how did you become a mercenary?"

"When I was ten years old..." Ash couldn't help but smile a little, since Dawn's eyes widened at his words. "Yes, I was also a child a long time ago... A very curious, energetic and happy one..." He paused, and then continued with his story. "As I said: The man, who had brought me to the family, came back when I became ten years old and took me on a journey... there he trained me, Pikachu and our former friend in the ways of combat and war... he trained us for about three years."

"What kind of-"

"That doesn't matter." The mercenary shook his head quickly. "Anyhow, only a matter of days after he had finished my training, he was killed by another man and his pokemon..." This was the first time Dawn had seen Ash's show any hint of sadness, although it went as quickly as it came and his face returned to its general emotionless expression. "Pikachu, our friend and I ran away from him... leaving him when we could've helped him... even if his last words to us was to run away!"

This had to be some sort of record; Ash had clearly shown frustration, anger and sorrow in under the span of one hour... But Dawn didn't say anything and instead kept listening to him.

"We ran back to the family where we had been staying with... but, it was only a matter of weeks before they, too, got killed, by the same man!" Now, Ash clearly showed anger as he got up and threw a stone across the lake, where it skipped across the surface many times before sinking near the middle of the lake... he then calmed himself down and placed himself on the ground once more and continued. "Things pretty much went downhill from there... Our friend left us, Pikachu and I got in touch with some bad people and that is how we became what we are today..."

Dawn still didn't say anything, even if she had been slightly frightened of Ash's recent show of anger. She only sat there and looked at him, causing the mercenary to frown.

"Don't you realize it, princess?" He slowly got up from his seating-position and took the now cooked meat off the spit. "Everyone around us dies! So, I must ask you: Why are you still here?"

"A lame attempt to scare me away, Ash..." Dawn shook her head, a small smile on her face. "Very lame..."

"What...?" The mercenary got a dumbfounded look on his face. "You don't-"

"I believe every word that you said." Dawn corrected him before he could even finish his sentence. "Except that you try to make it sound as though it's entirely your fault that those people died..."

"Well..." Ash cleared his throat, surprised by the young royal's answer. "It's not-"

"Yes, it is." Since when was the princess a mind-reader? "I can't believe that you blame yourselves for that!" Now it seemed like she was scolding Ash and Pikachu, who looked down towards the ground. "Listen, I don't care what happened to you in your past! You saved my life, so that's at least one example that not all people 'die around you'!"

"The boy we met earlier..." Dawn stopped herself in her scolding and looked at the mercenary, who seemed to have found new ammunition for his argument. "He spoke the truth... I had gotten a mission to kill his sister's fiancé, from the girl herself... I knew about the widow-burning traditions, but I still did it... so, what do you think about us now?"

"I think that you are very stupid." Ash's and Pikachu's faces fell, what was it with this girl? "You're trying to blame yourselves AGAIN! She hired you, and she only has herself to blame if she didn't look up such things up before she was executed! You didn't do her any harm! I think the boy will realize it too after a while."

Ash didn't want to tell her that the young boy, Maxwell, was probably dead by now on the charges of attacking a royal guard and threatening the princess's safety... Instead he said:

"Now, you think I'm some kind of hero..." Ash closed his eyes as he smiled weakly. "Let me reveal one fact to you: No mercenary are heroes... both Pikachu and I here have killed people who have done nothing wrong, just because for the sake of money... pokemon, men, women, everyone has fallen to my sword and his electricity..."

"Oh, no! I'm standing here with two heartless killers!" Ash tilted his head at the princess's really poor attempt at sarcasm. "Please... what you're saying is that you don't have a heart?"

"If that's how you want to put it: Yes."

Dawn suddenly grabbed him and forced him into a hug, pulling their bodies tight against each other.

Ash didn't know how to respond, should he stay still, put his arms around her, or push her away? So he simply stood there, stiffened by the blunette's sudden actions.

"P-Princess, what-" Ash's face was only getting redder as Dawn interrupted him.

"Shh..." She hushed him. "You are who you are, not what people see you like." She felt that he was going to object. "Don't say anything."

The action that would've suited Ash's personality now would have been to push her away and scold her. But he obeyed her. The blue-haired woman didn't know if it was because he had to follow her orders, or because he enjoyed it. It didn't matter to her though, as long as they could stand like this for a moment and listen to the bug-pokemon singing in the night, she would be happy.

The rodent, however, could feel his partner's distress. Pikachu knew it was time to end it when he saw Ash's hands beginning to automatically wrap around the princess.

"Pika!" Was the cry that he made as he 'accidentally' tripped over a standing piece of food, causing it fall to the ground with a dull thud.

The two youngsters quickly broke apart and looked away from each other. Dawn in embarrassment and slight happiness, while Ash just cursed himself for not having control over the situation.

"Let's..." The mercenary cleared his throat loudly, his cheeks still slightly red. "Let's just go to sleep, princess. Pikachu and I will guard the camp tonight, so don't worry."

"I-..." She was about to say something which had to do with the recent event, but the look Ash gave her made the princess change her mind. "Alright... goodnight." The last word sounded more like a sigh.

"Sleep well, princess." He was followed by a "Pika-chu."

She walked over to the improvised bed that they had made for her, which consisted mostly of leaves and dried grass. But she found it surprisingly comfortable, not as much as the bed in her own room, but still...

Dawn could hear the murmurs from her bodyguards by the fire, but they talked too quietly for her to hear from where she was. So she decided to leave it now as she closed her heavy eyelids and started to drift away to the land of dreams.

* * *

"Pikachu pi-pika chu chu pi pikachu-pi!" Ash hadn't heard Pikachu speak in such serious tone in a long time, it made him only reflect more upon his actions. "Pikachu pika, PikaPi!"

"I know, I know..." Ash sighed, his head in his hands. "I... don't know what happened to me. The feeling was so strange. My mind had stopped working for a moment and my body moved on its own, I just can't explain it."

"Pikachu? Pika-pi?"

"Yeah, my heartbeat increased, it was like I had just finished three hours of battling." Ash stated. "I felt weak, and exposed... what happened, really?"

Pikachu wondered if his leader and partner was naïve or just plain stupid. The rodent knew what the thing Ash experienced was, but how would he break it to him? The yellow mouse figured there wasn't any other choice...

"Pikachu-pi Pikapipi pikapichu." The rodent slowly explained, while gesturing with his hands. "Pikachuchu pi."

"I... see." The young man was deep in thought. "I think you're right... After all, I've been working too hard lately, I guess even I can be tired."

"Pika..." The rodent wanted to hit both himself and his partner, but he resisted the urge and figured that the human mercenary could guard the camp by himself for a while. "Pikapi."

"It's alright, you can sleep." Ash nodded as he got up. "I'm going to take a quick look around... Don't worry, I'll cover for you. Sleep well."

"Pikachu." The rodent thanked him as he walked towards the princess as he planned to curl up next to her, he figured she wasn't that bad when all is said and done.

Ash only watched his companion as the mouse walked towards the sleeping girl. He then gazed up towards the stars, a troubled look on his face.

"Exhaustion, huh?"

* * *

The night passed by quickly and Dawn woke up with a yawn as she heard bird-pokemon singing in the forest, totally different from what she normally experienced in the castle.

She looked around and could see the rodent strolling around the camp, looking a little tired, but seemed to manage anyway. Her heart skipped at the next sight.

Beside her, just a couple of feet away, sat a young man with black hair. He was leaning against a tree while his long sword was held in his grasp, looking as though he were asleep.

This was the first time Dawn had seen Ash so relaxed, so innocent, so vulnerable. His face that was normally strict and/or emotionless, was reminding her of a young boy's face that had had not gotten enough sleep. Soft snores came from him as he lent there.

Dawn slowly moved her hand towards his sleeping face, wanting to know if it felt as soft as it looked... She was only a few inches away when-

"What are you doing?" The young man asked her, his face still relaxed. The blunette quickly drew her hand back.

"I was-..." A deep blush overcame her as she remembered the previous night. "I just wanted to check if you were asleep."

"I'm never 'asleep'." The man frowned as his face regained its strict look as he opened his eyes and got up. "I never sleep, only rest."

"Don't make a fool out of me." The blunette more stated than demanded as she watched him strap his claymore on his back. "Everybody needs to sleep sometime."

"When I sleep, I see the faces of the people I've killed, princess." The man said slowly, as he recalled the pictures. "It took time, but I've manage to relax my body and mind, while being aware of my surroundings, so it would give the same effect as sleeping."

"Yeah, right." The princess huffed, convinced that Ash just didn't want to tell her. "You don't need to tell me, if you don't want to."

The raven haired young man only shook his head at her.

"Let's go back to the castle, Lady Dawn." The princess was confused by the sudden change of subject. "Lady Leona told me that you have some lessons today."

"I don't want to go..." The blunette groaned as she stretched her limbs before she got up. "It's just going to be some stupid old woman that's going to try and teach me to be more ladylike."

"Sounds like you do need them then, princess." Ash quickly regretted his words when Dawn stared at him. "Prin...cess...?"

"Did you just... make a joke?" Dawn's eyes were wide and Pikachu's ears perked up.

"What? No, of course not." Ash quickly strapped his bow across his body and quiver around his waist as he started to look anywhere but at the other two beings. "Let's go, we're going to be late."

"Yeah, yeah." The blunette sighed as she walked, depressed, behind him, not looking forward at all to the old hag's talking.

* * *

They were walking down the secret road that ran to the lake, when Ash suddenly raised his right hand and brought them to a stop.

"Ash? What's wrong?" Dawn asked with a confused face as she saw him look around.

"I don't like this..." The mercenary figured this was a bad place to stop. The road was wide, so an army could line up and block them from the front and from behind them. The forest was thick on either sides, which made it perfect for an ambush. The power that he had, one he wished he didn't have, alerted him that something bad was going to happen. "Pikachu, get ready."

"Pika." The rodent knew that Ash never joked about things like this, so he tensed his body, ready to engage in combat.

"What's happening?" The princess didn't seem to get the serious mood that the other two were in "I don't understand."

"You don't need to understand, just-..." Ash cut himself off as he drew his sword and got into a combat stance, facing the rear. "Get back!"

He had almost never been wrong when it came to this... True to word, several men, numbering around fifty, appeared thirty meters behind them, and were all fully armed.

"What? Who are you?" The princess demanded as she looked at Ash and Pikachu's stances. "I am the princess of Sinnoh, and I order you to tell me who you are!"

"It's no use, Lady Dawn." Ash muttered. "Coordinated movements and positions, strong armor and sharp weapons... they're not mercenaries or bandits, they are professional soldiers. Probably here to kidnap you, or take your life."

"What!" Dawn gasped, what would they want with her? "Ash, let's run!"

"That would be a stupid idea, princess." Ash stated as he started to slowly advance towards the men. "Knowing them, there'll probably be men in front of us, and maybe in the forest too... I'll hold them back here. Pikachu, you escort the princess back to the castle!"

"Pika!" The rodent saluted, even though he didn't really want to agree with those orders.

"Wait, Ash! You can't handle them all by yourself!" Dawn shouted after him as he continued to walk advance towards their enemies. "You'll be killed."

"There's certainly a chance of that happening." Ash didn't turn back to look at her, he felt his pulse raise a little, as it usually did before a big battle. "But what is better? That I die and you live, or that we all die because you foolishly decided to stay and watch?"

"I-... I-..." Dawn wanted to say something, something that could end all this, but she felt the fear build up in her, but she didn't want Ash to risk his life for her again. "Just... come back in one piece!"

Ash didn't answer her, and she was so tempted to run up to him... But, the rodent had started to pull at her dress, wanting them to move. Pikachu knew that there was a high risk that this might be his partner's last wish, and he planned to follow it through to the very end.

The woman and pokemon started to run in the opposite direction, leaving a smiling mercenary behind as he heard their footfalls fading in the distance.

Ash's attention was then redirected towards the soldiers; they had been smart enough not to have any emblem or insignia on their armor that showed their allegiance.

"Attack!" Was the first and only thing he heard from the enemy as they started to charge him.

"You sure came without any notice..." Ash chuckled sadly to himself with his head lowered. "I don't have any last words, nor have I dealt with all the problems in my life. I don't even have a heartbreaking speech to give that will be remembered through the ages, even after I'm gone..." He suddenly raised his head as his eyes flared in anger. "But I will say this: None of you will get by me so long as I draw breath!"

The mercenary then raised his sword as he then sprinted towards the enemy and crashed into them.

* * *

"Come on, Pikachu!" Dawn cried, even if he was in front of her. "We're almost to the gates! As soon as we get there, we can send reinforcements to Ash!"

"Pikachu!" The rodent agreed. He was actually worried for his friend. Their battleground was a very wide area, and if their formation was any indication, these soldiers were very experienced and were able to function well as a unit. If only his partner wasn't so stubborn that he would use his power, if only-... "Pi!"

The rodent didn't have the same gift to sense enemies as Ash did, but he, too, could sense when danger was near. He stopped the princess in her tracks.

Twenty men, all wearing the same armor as those from before, stood in front of them. Pikachu cursed under his breath, it had been a trap. They knew who guarded the princess, how dangerous Ash was. They figured that he would stay behind and fight... however, they didn't seem to think that Pikachu, who was usually forgotten in the tales of 'Ash, the Mercenary', would be able to hold his own... He might not be as strong as Ash at one on one, but his Area of Effect attacks would deal with these guys quickly.

Dawn was about to say something when Pikachu launched himself at the soldiers, sending out electric bolts with intent to kill every last one of them, as a sort of pre-revenge for Ash.

"CHUUUU!" Was the sound that caused five of the soldiers to scream in pain as their flesh was burnt and were electrocuted to death.

The beautiful princess watched in horror as the cute little mouse launched himself towards the soldiers and sent out the yellow light. She couldn't stand the screaming of pain, she didn't care who they were.

"Pikachu! Stop!" The mouse turned quickly towards the screeching voice, fearing the princess to be in danger. But then the yellow mouse felt a hard kick to the side as he flew into a tree. "No!"

"Thanks, little missy. You made our job a lot easier now..." The man, who had kicked Pikachu, smiled as he and the last two remaining soldiers walked towards her with their weapons at the ready. "You have nowhere to run. Do you hear that? The screams from the other end have ceased, which means that Ash the Mercenary is dead! You are surrounded. Just stay still and we will make it as painless as possible."

"No... stop..." The princess felt the fear build up in her, once again. "Don't!"

She turned and started to run away from them, but she only made it a few feet away before she tripped on a rock on the ground.

"It's a shame that you did that, princess." The man mocked her, his face almost completely covered by a helmet. "Now your death won't be pain-free..."

"Stop it... please..." Dawn sobbed as man the drew an arrow on his bow. "NO!" She closed her eyes as the the arrow was let loose.

"WHAT?" Dawn slowly opened her eyes, only to see a kneeling figure in front of her. "How did you survive!"

"Five..." The shadow panted heavily. "There are... five things... that you shouldn't have done..."

"What are you talking about, begone from here!" As soon as he finished those words, his head flew off his body as the man started to walk to the last two soldiers.

"One. You kicked my partner..." He talked as he continued to walk towards them, but they had seemed to regain their confidence as they too walked towards him. "Two. You use ranged-weapons in a close combat fight..." The first one raised his sword and swung at the man, only to have his attack parried. "Three. You don't know when to give up..." The long sword slit the man's stomach open, causing him to grasp it as he tried to scream, only to get his throat pierced by said sword. "Four. You underestimated us..." The last man didn't care if he had killed all of his comrades, if he fled he would be executed anyway, he continued to charge towards the man. "Five..." The weapons clashed, a longer sword against a shorter one. "You attacked an innocent, unarmed woman!" The man screamed in terror and pain as he felt his right leg separate from his body, but he didn't scream as the same sword finished him a second later.

"Learn from your mistakes..." Ash muttered as he saw Pikachu crawl back onto the road, feeling rather groggy. He then turned towards the person they were to protect. "Are you alright, princess?... Princess...?"

Dawn only looked at him with a horrified look, what kind of monster was he? He slew those men, close to tortured them, without hesitation. He was covered in blood, from top to toe. His eyes didn't even show remorse... what was he? What did he want?

"Lady Dawn?" Ash made a motion to stagger towards her. He could hear people in the distance, probably the Sinnoh soldiers.

"Stay back!" She didn't even pause to think about what she screamed, she just screamed what first came to her mind.

The mercenary frowned, but then he realized the reason.

"I would've preferred a better last moment..." The raven haired bodyguard muttered with a weak smile as he fell backwards.

As he laid unmoving on the ground, Dawn could see an arrow stuck into his body... the same arrow that he had taken for her...

**End of chapter 12**

* * *

**Don't worry, Ash isn't dead... yet...**

**How about that? Some people wanted to have a little more pearlshipping, and I think that scene kinda counts as it... Or is it just my imagination?**

**Now... I'm not too eager to see reviews which consist of bashing Dawn, for how she reacted, in the end of the chapter... How would you have reacted, if someone close to you suddenly started to half-torture men and kill them, right in front of you?**** Although, I'm not the one to tell you how you should write your review... Write it as you wish!  
**

**Lastly, I want to ask you something: In the end of each chapter... Do you want a question about what's going to happen in the next chapter (so you can guess), or do you want a pokemon-riddle?... Or maybe you don't want anything at all?**

**It's better to review later than never and I'll see you in the next chapter!**

**R&R!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Didn't I tell you that I was going to start and update regularly? As long as I'm not involved in some kind of accident, you can be expecting one chapter a week until this story is finished! **

**Here's the thirteenth chapter****; As you maybe remember, in the last chapter Dawn witnessed Ash kill several men in cold blood... So now she's too scared to even look at him, but will she be able to overcome it? Only this chapter will tell!**

**It's a shame, that it seems like this story has lost some readers... Although, I don't blame them. I've too lost interest in some stories which took too long to update. :/  
**

**Oh, right: This chapter might not be as violent as the first one... But its corniness-level has increased to immeasurable numbers (Ash and Dawn? Who knows...)... So don't be too surprised/disgusted!**

**I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!**

* * *

The royal adviser, Brock Harrison, didn't know what to do.

The squint-eyed man let out a deep sigh as he closed a book about Sinnoh's history. He thought of the things that had occurred in the last month which caused him to feel even more stressed and confused.

It had been two months since Ash, the bodyguard, knight and mercenary, was carried into the castle with deep cuts and arrows sticking into his body. It had of course raised many questions, but the princess just ran into her room and barricaded herself inside, not even letting Leona or her pokemon inside.

Brock had first thought her behavior was due to guilt, since Ash had protected her life, as usual.

"_It wasn't the first time she has acted like that after all._" Thought Brock, as he reminded himself of the Gyarados-accident where the mercenary had almost sacrificed himself saving the princess. "_Then again... her actions doesn't seem to fit what happened the first time..._"

It was true. When Dawn Berlitz had finally come out from her room, she seemed to avoid talking about Ash with the others. And when she was told that the raven haired young man would survive and be up and about in a month or so, she didn't seem too excited nor happy.

But the thing that really took the advisor by surprise was the thing that happened just a week ago, when king Cyrus told his daughter, as usual, that she shouldn't be too far away from Ash or Pikachu... Brock didn't know what to think when she blurted out the words: "I don't want to meet that monster! What were you thinking when you hired a murderer to protect me?"

She then clasped her hands in front of her mouth and ran straight out of the room, only to barricade herself into her own once again.

Cyrus had, as expected, immediately gone to Ash's bed, where he was still recovering, and demanded an account of the events that had happened during the camping-trip.

Brock, who listened at the door, heard the bodyguard explain to the king what had happened. He told him about how they had got to the forest, how he had captured a Milktank for food, how he and Pikachu had guarded the princess while she was asleep, and finally how they had been ambushed by the unknown soldiers.

The spiky, brown-haired man got up from his seat and decided to go and see the mercenary. He opened the door to his room and entered the hall, directing himself towards the room that people rarely visited.

When Brock and king Cyrus heard about the soldiers, they both knew what had happened. Dawn had never in her whole life seen as much as a little Starley die. She wasn't used to seeing the deaths of people as she never even went to the public executions since she despised them so.

That explains why the gruesome deaths of so many men would disturb her a great deal. Brock didn't even want to think of how she now thought of Ash and Pikachu... Pikachu, the extremely cute little mouse that loved to eat his apples, had jumped around and slashed off people's heads with his Iron Tail and made them scream out in agony as he electrocuted them to death... And Ash, the noble and brave-looking warrior that the princess looked up to a great deal, the man who always knew what was right and what was wrong, had cut up his enemies with his sword and decapitated them. He even tortured them to the point of near death in order to learn of whom hired them...

The advisor had to lean against the wall to support himself as he took a deep breath. Why was all of this happening now? It was only a few days before yet another betrothal-meeting between Sinnoh and another region. How would it look like to the other region if they saw that the princess of Sinnoh was afraid of her own bodyguard?

But, the brown-haired man lifted his head and continued to walk towards the door, this was something that he was better off not worrying about. He had been chased out of so many villages for, according to him, capturing the hearts so many of their women. So he, who was the unofficial king of romance, understood that this wasn't a thing that could be solved by any others that the princess and mercenary themselves.

"_The only question is..._" Brock thought with a sigh as he pushed against the door to the mercenary's room. "_Will Ash even understand the problems between himself and the princess...?_"

* * *

"What is it?" The dark voice asked as he heard the knock on the door. "Why do you even bother knocking when you walk right in after doing so?"

"Out of habit, I guess." The advisor shrugged his shoulders as he inspected the knight. "How are you feeling?"

"What does it look like?" It seemed that he wasn't in a chatty mood. He was about to strap his giant sword onto his back. "I'll manage."

"Good, I think you should talk to the prince-" The spiky brown-haired man was interrupted by the black-haired young man.

"Don't worry, I was on my way to do so now." He said as he walked past him. "Come, Pikachu, let's go and see why she hasn't disturbed us yet."

"Pika-Pikachu!" Was the little rodent's answer as he jumped down from the bed and hurried out from the room with his partner. "Pi-ka!"

"Ash..." Brock mumbled to himself, clearly disappointed in his potential friend's denseness. "You haven't figured it out yet...?"

* * *

However. Ash had figured it out a long time ago. He still remembered the look on the princess's face, right before he had collapsed.

"'Stay back'... huh?" He muttered and looked at Dawn Berlitz's door. "Well, it's not like I can do anything about that. She'll just have to get over it. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika..." The mouse had its paw on its head, while he shook it at his friend's stupidity and insensitivity.

"Princess? Are you there?" Ash knocked loudly on the wooden door and waited for an answer. "Lady Dawn?"

No response, not even a whisper or footsteps.

The mercenary frowned as he thought of the possible scenarios.

"_Either... she isn't there... or..._" He had a weak smile at the last option. "_She doesn't want to see me.._"

He took a deep breath, already regretting his course of action.

"Good moooorning, princess!" He shouted as he kicked in the door with incredible strength, making it fly up with a loud noise.

The duo stepped in and waited for the princess's laugh, or scream... neither of them came.

Ash was greatly confused. He could clearly see the princess sitting on her bed, hugging her pillow. Nothing, apart from the door, seemed to be out of place or broken and no escape-attempts seemed to have been made... Had she been sitting there the whole time?

"My Lady, is there something the matter?" She didn't even look at him, only staring straight at the wall on the other side of the room. "Pikachu, do it."

The rodent nodded and jumped up onto the Princess's bed. There he started to nuzzle his little red cheeks against her leg as he cooed happily, trying to at least get her to smile.

Strangely enough, she quickly withdrew herself from the contact without even once looking at the rodent.

"_Did Pikachu just get... rejected...?_" Ash thought to himself, since he had never seen such event occur. "_Alright, this is just stupid._"

He walked up to the Hoenn Royal's side of the bed and put a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Princess, look at me!" He commanded her in a hard and determined voice.

Slowly, but surely, the blunette beauty's head turned towards him and their eyes met.

"Ash..." The tone of her voice that told him that she hadn't spoken in a while. "Ash..."

"Lady Dawn." The mercenary smiled relived. "You had me worried there."

"Ash..." The blue-haired girl's eyes shot up as she got a terrified look on her face. "HELP ME!"

The young woman's outburst made the mercenary take several steps back; with his back almost flat against the wall.

"Princess Dawn! What's wrong!" Leona shouted as she came running into the room, along with the royal's pokemon. "What happened?"

"Help..." Was the only word that the girl let out as she started to whimper. "Help..."

"I... I think you should go... Sir Ash... I'm sorry." Leona looked towards the mercenary/knight and his pokemon with apologetic eyes. "It's probably just too soon. You understand, don't you?"

"Of course, excuse me." Were the only words that the young man said as he began to walk out of the room. However, when he got to the doorway he uttered a few words directed to nobody in particular. "'You are who you are, not what people see you as.'"

He then walked out of the room along with the rodent.

"I know that..." Were the words that the blunette whispered. "I know that, but still... still..."

* * *

"Pikachu-pi, PikaPi?" The rodent asked carefully, since he felt his companion's Aura was wavering, and he shouldn't even be able to feel it. "Pi?"

"Don't worry, Pikachu." Ash shook his head that was slumped against the wall right next to the princess's room. He continued with a low voice so nobody would hear them. "It's just that... What she said."

"Pika-pi-pi Pika pi pi-chu!" The rodent stated firmly, wanting to cheer up his friend. "Pika!"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that." Ash smiled weakly as he looked down at his partner. "I don't care what she thinks of me or call me... It's just... I somehow get a strange feeling..."

"Pika-chu?" The rodent eyed him with a tilted head, looking for possible signs of illness.

"I somehow get the feeling that..." He took a deep breath. "That she was... asking me to help her..."

There was a moment of silence between those two, nobody knew and will ever know what went through their heads. But when Pikachu was about to say what he thought, they heard voices from the room and decided to listen in.

* * *

"Princess Dawn..." Leona smiled weakly at her friend. "What's wrong? You have never behaved like this, not even after Sir Ash saved you from the Gyarados."

"It... It's just..." The blunette shook her head vigorously. "... I don't know. Every time I see him now... Those pictures... how he... killed... them-... I know it was to protect me!" She quickly defended herself, as she saw her chamber-maid's rather doubtful look. "But, still... still..."

She didn't speak for a while after that, Dawn Berlitz only continued to stare at the wall opposite her.

Leona didn't know what to do, either. She wanted Sir Ash and Princess Dawn to make up, more than anything else. The princess needed the mercenary for protection, both psychically and emotionally.

"Well..." The brunette with short hair got up and smoothed her dress out. What she needed to do now was to distract the princess's attention from this event. "I think I need to tell you this, Lady Dawn."

"Hm?" The blunette-princess looked up groggily, her eyes shining a little more than usual. "What is it, Leona?"

"I... am going to get married!" Leona couldn't help her excitement, she shouted out the last word in joy. "I was just proposed to!"

The Sinnoh Royal's eyes slowly widened, along with her mouth.

"M-Married...?" She let the word sink in a little bit. Then, a smile appeared on her lips that many in the kingdom had longed for during the past weeks. "That's great! Wait a minute... Didn't you like Ash?"

It was a positive sign that she could mention the mercenary's name without being depressed or afraid, it was evidence that she didn't think about that horrible event for the time being. Neither of the young women heard a young man tense up and a rodent's snickers outside the door.

"That was just a phase." Leona waved the suspicious tone away with her hand. "I figured it would never work out, we were too different."

"Right, let's forget about Ash!" Dawn surely hadn't meant anything bad with those words, but that didn't stop the Aura of Depression appearing in the hallway. "Come on, tell me about him! Who's he? Where's he from?"

"He's from Johto!" Leona explained quickly, she seemed to be head-over-heels in love with that guy. "He has the most beautiful auburn hair that shines in the sun! And his eyes... They're so black that you can feel them suck in your very soul! And let's not forget about how he always tells me-"

"Alright, alright." Dawn interrupted her friend, wanting her breathe. Although, in truth, she was feeling a little jealous. "He seems like a handsome guy, Leona. I'm happy for you."

"Thank you, princess." The love struck girl beamed at her. "I can't wait for the day when we'll be able to live together!"

"Well... Don't worry about that." Dawn had started to get equally excited. "I will talk to father about letting him stay in the castle, so you can live together!"

"Oh..." The princess got a bad feeling when she heard that word and saw her friend's face. "You see... We were planning on going to Johto, and live there. He's going to open a business that sells fishing-equipment... I'm-... I'm afraid that I'll need to quit my job here..."

"W-What...?" The blunette's eyes were wide, for the third time in less than an hour. "You're kidding, right? Leona? You're not gonna leave me, right?"

"I'm... sorry..." Tears had started to flow down her cheeks. "I-... It's the only way!"

"I... understand." The princess's head hung down. But she lifted it and smiled brightly. "Don't worry about it! You should be happy! I just want to meet him before you leave, okay?"

"Thank you... Lady Dawn." Leona sobbed happily. "Thank you... so much!"

"Just go, don't keep him waiting!" Dawn laughed and shooed her away, causing Leona to sprint out the door.

But, as soon as she had left the room, the happy expression that the princess had faked disappeared immediately.

"_What's wrong with me...?_" The blunette was angered at herself for feeling that way. "_It's Leona's dream! Why can't I be happy for her?_"

She shook her head with a deep sigh, this wasn't going to work.

"_At least I can congratulate them and see them off..._" She let out a deep sigh as she got up from her bed and headed out of the room. She had worn the same clothes since yesterday, but it didn't bother her this time, she had to do her best to not make her friend leave with any regrets. "_I need to cheer myself up!_"

* * *

Leona, the chambermaid, looked around. He had promised to meet her at the southern gate, where no people passed through at this time of the day.

"Where is he...?" She mumbled to herself, getting a strange feeling in her chest. "He said that he would be coming..."

"Leona!" Her heart leapt as she heard his voice. "Sorry for making you wait!"

"Rudy!" She cried out with joy and ran into his arms, as he spun her around. "I was starting to think that you wouldn't come!"

"How could I leave the love of my life alone here?" He joked with a kind smile as he cupped her cheek. "I have missed you."

"I have missed you, too..." Their faces were about to close in, but they were interrupted.

"... Leona...?" They quickly looked towards the royal's voice. "Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have interrupted you!"

"Don't worry, Princess Berlitz." The man named Rudy bowed before her, Leona made a curtsy. "It's an honor to meet someone that my love considers as a friend."

"Oh, my..." The blunette couldn't help but feel a slight blush come on her face, even though she was used to all the flattery from the noble boys. "The honor is mine, Mr...?"

"Ah, forgive my thoughtlessness, my Lady." He took another deep bow. "My name is Rudy Firetree, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"No, no. The honor is all mine." Dawn felt flustered as she nodded her head lightly in acknowledgment, the standard greeting for royals. "My name is Dawn Berlitz, princess of Sinnoh."

"But of course, only a fool wouldn't recognize that beauty." Rudy bowed once again in a very well-mannered way. "Leona has spoken highly of you, my princess."

"She has? That's nice to hear..." Dawn didn't know why, but she felt slightly uncomfortable around this man, yet she felt attracted to him. "I... I heard you planned on starting a business in Johto."

"That's right, Lady Dawn." Leona smiled. "He has it all planned, Rudy only need a little more in advance to make it all work! We'll be running the fishing circuit in no time!"

"Advance?" The word struck the blunette. "What's this... 'advance'?"

"Oh, it's only some of the money that I've been saving." Leona waved off the thought as she looked deeply into the love-of-her-life's eyes. "Don't worry, Rudy says we'll earn it back in no time!"

"Of course we shall, my love." The auburn-haired man, who was a few years older than Leona, smiled greatly as he held her. "We have our future planned all out!"

"I see..." Dawn wanted to do something, it was clear that she had a bad feeling about this. But how do you tell your best friend that she might be set up for a scam? What if he was really speaking the truth? It would ruin everything for them if Dawn didn't keep quiet. Only a person with no compassion or emotions whatsoever could do anything right now... But such a dense and insensitive person didn't exist in this-

"Oh? Who might you be, sir?" Dawn froze as she heard the brown-haired man ask the name of a man behind her. Was it her father? No... worse...

"My name is Ash." The neutral, yet harsh tone, was hard to mistake. Dawn decided not to look at him, afraid of seeing those horrible flashbacks again. "I am the royal bodyguard to the princess and knight of Sinnoh."

"It's truly an honor to meet such a noble man, sir." Rudy did another bow with a smile that would make anyone blush, no matter the gender. "I can see that you have done a splendid job in protecting the jewel of this region!"

"I know." Dawn almost fell down at the harsh response. "Who are you?"

"I'm Rudy Firetree and-..."

"That's enough." Even for Ash, this was way too rude. What was his problem? "I heard that you planned on taking Lady Leona to Johto."

"That's true!" Leona answered eagerly, clearly not wanting Ash to try and ruin anymore than necessary. "We're going to open a business! The only thing left is-"

"Money." The mercenary filled in with a grim look on his face. "And what if it doesn't work?"

"What... what do you mean?" Leona got a bad feeling as she heard this, what was the knight's intention?

"What if, even with your money, it doesn't work out? Have you any other plans?" He stood there with his arms crossed, clearly not liking the situation.

"Of course, sir!" It seemed that Rudy's speech was a little more forced than usual. "Our love can survive even the darkest times! As long as we have each other, we'll be able to live on love!"

"Oh, Rudy..." Leona swooned as she looked at him dreamily.

"'Love'?" Ash almost spat the word out. "'Love' doesn't give you food, 'love' doesn't give you money, 'love' doesn't ensure your survival. If you truly 'love' her, then you should have better plans, one that doesn't include using her life-savings. Got it?"

"Ash..." Both Dawn and Leona uttered at the same time, neither of them looking at him, the tones of their voices weren't the most positive...

"W-Well..." Rudy's speech was now really forced, he clearly disliked the situation with this man. "It seems like Sir Knight doesn't have much experience with true love... But, I will listen to Sir Knight's words."

He then turned to Leona and took her hand and looked deeply into her eyes.

"My love... don't worry, I'll be back in a few days, then we can live happily ever after." He gripped her hands harder. "I promise."

"Rudy..." Leona's eyes became glossy, she didn't know what to do. "I'll... wait for you."

"I will be back!" Was the thing he shouted as he started to walk away from the castle gate. "Don't worry!"

There was silence as they watched him disappear into the distance. Dawn was the first to speak.

"Ash..." She still didn't look at him. "You are a jerk."

The princess didn't shout those words, nor said it in a harsh tone, but it sounded as though she truly meant it.

The slightly older mercenary and bodyguard didn't answer her.

"Where did he go?" Now it was the chambermaid's turn to speak. "Where did Sir Ash go?"

Dawn looked around, and found that she was right. He had disappeared!

"He couldn't have...!" The thought just entered Dawn's head as she remembered the mercenary's and Rudy's exchange of words. "Leona! Rudy might be in danger!"

"Rudy!" The two girls started to run in the direction that the man had walked just moments earlier.

* * *

"A better plan... I need a better plan." Rudy mumbled as he walked with his head bowed. "If I don't come up with a better plan, she'll never accept me..."

He continued to mutter to himself, but then suddenly cried out as a sword was driven into the wall right in front of him, only mere millimeters from his head.

"Love conquers all, huh?" Rudy got shivers down his spine as he heard the voice and saw the giant claymore in front of him. "You know... there's something I've always wanted to ask you."

"W-What's that, sir?" Rudy's voice stuttered as he saw the man pull the sword from the wall with ease, he looked really dangerous.

"How's your mother doing?"

* * *

"Come on, Princess!" Leona hurried her friend. "We have to hurry, otherwise he might hurt Rudy!"

"I'm running, I'm running!" Dawn panted slightly, it was a pain to run in a long dress and such uncomfortable shoes, but she pulled it off rather well.

"I think we're close now!" The chambermaid said as they were about to run around a corner, but they stopped when they heard voices coming in that direction and hid by the corner as they listened in to the conversation.

"How's your mother doing?"

* * *

"I... I'm not quite sure if I know what you're talking about..." The man hesitated. "Do I know you?"

"Firetree, huh?" Ash shook his head with a disappointed look on his face. "Not that imaginative... Wouldn't you agree, Waterflower?"

"H-How... do you know my name?" His shout was so loud that they didn't hear the gasps of the girls from around the corner. "Who are you!"

"Who am I?" The knight started to smile evilly. "Since it seems like you are hesitant about who you are for the moment, let me enlighten you:"

He took a deep breath before he started, his eyes burning with anger.

"Your father's name was Rudy Waterflower, whom you're named after. Mr. Waterflower, senior, was killed by plunderers three years ago and his wife, Misty Waterflower, hired a mercenary to deal with them." Everyone who was listening could see that he was speaking the truth, since Rudy had a terrified expression on his face. "Since that's your parents' history, let me tell you about yours: You left home at an early age and started to make a living of seducing young, lonely women into believing that they'll live a happy life with you... However, they needed to, of course, pay a little 'advance' in order to make that dream come true-"

"Shut up!" The older man snapped at him, forgetting his cover in his anger. "How would you know about that? It's only known in the Kanto Region! It's impossible for my reputation to have traveled this far!"

"What would your mother say, if she saw you like this?" Ash asked as Rudy remained silent. "Do you think she would be proud?"

"My mother's dead!" Rudy shouted as not even a flicker emotion was shown on Ash's face.

* * *

"L-Leona...?" Dawn carefully asked her friend. "A-Are you..."

She didn't answer; instead the chambermaid stepped right out from their hiding-place, facing the two men. Dawn carefully looked at the scene, doing her best to not be noticed.

"Leona..." It seemed that Rudy's voice was laced with surprise and resignation. "It's not what it looks like! Don't listen to him, he-..."

His voice died out when the young girl turned and ran in the opposite direction, back towards the castle. That he didn't call out to her or tried to follow her was all the proof the princess and knight needed.

"Your mother's dead, huh?" Dawn quickly put her back against the wall, pondering if she should follow her friend or continue to listen to the conversation... However, every time she looked at Ash, the picture of him drenched in blood, slaying those men, appeared in her head and almost caused her some panic-attacks. That's why she decided just to listen, and not look him. "That's your excuse? She died and you're trying to find a girl that resembles your mother so you can get back to her?"

"No!" The princess jumped slightly at the loud and harsh voice. "She didn't die... she was killed!"

"What's the difference." It wasn't a question that left Ash's mouth, it was a statement.

"She was killed because the man she hired took her money, leaving her with nothing left!" He just continued to rant, his eyes filled with hate. "I don't care what the world thinks about me, as long as I can get my revenge on him!"

"Are you mad?" Yet again, Ash wasn't asking a question. "In WHAT way does this do your 'revenge' any good? You're fooling innocent women!"

"So what? If they buy that lie, they deserve to be fooled!" He had even started to laugh madly, Dawn wished that this would all be over soon. "They're just pitiful creatures with no-"

Her eyes widened as she heard a loud noise followed by a scream, forcing her to look at the two men. Dawn felt the panic arise as she saw Ash push Rudy up against a wall with his sword at Rudy's throat, it seemed as though he was thinking whether to follow through with the deed or not. The princess's heartbeat started to increase when she recalled the slaughter he had carried out before, she desperately wanted to scream 'STOP!', but no words would leave her mouth.

"You pathetic shell of a human being..." The raven haired young man growled with a dark voice. "You seek revenge? For what purpose? That your mother was stupid enough to hire a mercenary?"

"What do you know?" Rudy shouted, equally angered, he only showed it more. "You weren't there!"

Ash removed the sword from his throat and took a step back, causing the other to cough due to the lack of air. Then he just looked at him with emotionless eyes.

"You've sought for revenge for three years, you say?" He shook his head, disappointed. "You're lying. If that was true, then you could've easily found out that I, Ash the Mercenary, was the one your mother sought for the job. You haven't eve-..."

Dawn couldn't help but let out a small shriek as she saw Rudy immediately take a step towards the mercenary and push a knife into his stomach... followed by the dripping of red fluid onto the ground.

The knight looked slowly down onto the place where the knife had landed.

"_No..._" Was the only thing that ran through Dawn's mind, as tears started to well up in her eyes. "_I don't want this... I don't want him to die!_"

"So sad..." Dawn's tears stopped flowing as she heard the mercenary speak in a normal tone. "Do you really think you can kill me just like that?"

He then twisted the knife out of Rudy's grip with his bloody hand, which he had used to catch the blade with. He threw the knife away from them and looked at the kneeling mass in front of him.

"Are you done?" Was the only thing Ash asked as he watched him whimper. "Are you ready to receive your punishment?"

"_He's going to kill him..._" Was the thought that ran through the princess's head. "_He's going to kill again... why does he enjoy it so much?_"

"P-Please... le-let me.. live!" The older man had started to sob in front of the mercenary, begging for his life. "I'll do anything!"

"Every time I take a life..." Ash gave him a hard look. "I see the person's face in front of me. Yours are one I would rather not look at... You're not worth dirtying my blade for."

Rudy started to breath heavily, trying to control his anger. He was just about to leap towards the knight, when Ash spoke.

"Don't do it. You will never defeat me, whatever methods you use." He sent him a very weak smile. "Even if you do it when I guard that troublesome girl, which is when my defense is as low as it can get, you still won't succeed."

The former Ladies' Man then did something unexpected. He cried out with all his might. He screamed in agony, in pain, in anger, in depression... yes, almost every negative emotion did he scream out before he got up and started to run away from Ash.

"_Two Auras have left the place..._" Noted the mercenary as he sheathed his sword. "_Mr. Waterflower and... The princess...?_"

* * *

It was getting dark as Ash and Pikachu did their usual walk around the castle. They took that route both to scout for any danger, and because they enjoyed the tranquility of the night.

"_Truly, nothing beats this..._" Ash thought with an unusually calm smile as he felt the sword bounce lightly on his back as they walked. "_No sounds, barely any auras, no screams, no evil intentions... Just a big, quiet world... why can't it always be like this?_"

Even though the yellow rodent didn't enjoy the dark as much as his partner, since he had a hard time looking for apples then, he still liked it. No noisy kids trying to pull his tale or pinch his cheeks, no stupid penguin- or rabbit-pokemon trying to disturb his everyday-life.

"Pikachu?" The human, for once, broke the silence between them as they were on their way to the courtyard. The rodent answered with a: "Pi?"

"Do you remember what happened one and a half years ago?" The yellow mouse stared at him, trying to think of which event he meant. "You know, in the forest? It was a dark night, just like this."

"Pika...!" The yellow rodent suddenly remembered the event. "Pik-pi-chu, chaa... Pikachu-pi pika pikach-uu."

"No, I'm not talking about that one..." A suddenly embarrassed Ash cleared his throat. "Besides," He continued to correct his companion. "I didn't 'spy' on them. It was an accident, that I happened to walk there and trip on a stone... how would I ever know that those women took a bath in that pond?"

"Pika-chuuu..." Even those who didn't understand the rodent could clearly tell that he said something like: "_Yeah, right..._"

The bigger mercenary just muttered under his breath, cursing the rodent's memory and his own misfortune.

"What I meant was that time in Johto when we had taken a boat to an island and had camped there." The mouse still didn't seem to remember what he was talking about. "It was raining lightly and it was colder than usual... yet, it didn't disturb us. We thought nothing of it, for some reason... that was when it came."

"Pikaa...!" It seemed like Pikachu understood what he was talking about. "Chu, pika-pi."

"Yeah, that pokemon..." Ash still remembered the memory clearly. "Its wings glittered like silver from the light of the moon, and a water-like tornado appeared in the ocean... and its song, what I wouldn't give to hearing that song again."

"Pi. Pika." The rodent stated firmly, also wishing to hear it again. There still existed pokemon that was unknown to the other pokemon like Pikachu. "Chu pi, PikaPi?"

"I do remember that the rain stopped and the cold disappeared right after it was gone, too." The mercenary nodded as he was deep in thought. "Rain that doesn't make you wet... cold that doesn't make you chilly... water that feels as though it floats in the air... what in the world was it?"

"Pika, pika." The mouse-pokemon whispered in its little voice, causing the knight to look up.

"Kyaa!" Was the sound that came from the falling girl with navy-blue hair. "Ow, ow, ow..."

The two mercenaries and knights stood there for a moment and watched the princess get up on her two feet again, taking an amateurish stance.

"'Troublesome girl', you say! ?" They heard the princess half-mutter and half-shout to herself. "'Defense is as low as it can get', you think? !"

She took another swing with the wooden-sword. However, the force was too great and made her fall flat on her face again.

"Aww, man..." She sighed and lay there for a moment; the Kricketunes had started their cry to the night. "I won't let it happen again... I won't let him get hurt trying to protect me!"

She got up once again and took a firm hold on the sword, took a swing over her head and staggered forth once again... "Curse it!"

Dawn took another deep breath and tried again.

"Your grip is wrong." She was about to shriek when she felt someone grab her hands from behind. "Have your right hand over the left, and don't let go."

She had started to shiver slightly as she felt the young man's breath on her neck.

"Spread your stance, as you don't have enough balance." He shoved her feet away from each other lightly. "Don't raise the sword too much... just raise it above your head, then strike!"

He lifted her hands until they were over her head, then he lowered them rather quick, and stopped midway. "Go any further and you'll lose your balance, got it...?"

"I... I got it..." Dawn's face started to heat up slightly for several reasons. One was that her bodyguard was more or less embracing her from behind, another was that he was holding her hands... but the biggest reason was probably due to the tone of his voice, she had never heard him speak in such a soft tone that it almost shocked her. Was this the voice he used when he taught people about the things he loved? "What... what are you doing... here?"

The raven haired mercenary didn't answer her, he just slowly let go of her hands and she felt his presence move away.

She turned around and saw him, too, standing with a wooden-sword in his hands. He was smiling calmly at her, his face relaxed.

"Show me what I've told you." The slow and soothing voice almost made her legs shake. "Prove to me, that you can take care of yourself!"

When the princess heard those last words, a small hope lit up inside her. She took a firm grip on her weapon and ran towards him, preparing to strike him.

"Not bad." Ash smirked lightly as he bent his knees a little, causing the sword to fly over his head. "But power and speed isn't everything. Analyze your opponent, foresee where his next strike will be and dodge it."

"It's harder than it looks!" The girl shot back as she took another swing at him, this time aiming towards his stomach.

"Then put more effort in it." The mercenary chuckled slightly as he parried her sword with his own. "Or does the little princess need her servants for it?"

"Why, you...!" Dawn had started to laugh as she ran towards him, panting lightly, and tried to drive the tip of the sword into the knight's gut. "Ha!"

"Never take a victory for granted!" The blunette's eyes widened as Ash actually blocked her blow using the edge of his sword against the tip of hers. "If you lose your focus, you lose the battle."

"Then, how about this!" She raised the sword and aimed for his head, causing them to get into yet another weapon-lock. Ash could've, if he wanted to of course, overcome the lock. But if he did, she wouldn't learn. "Give up!"

"When using a weapon, it's not just a weapon." Ash explained with his calm voice as he raised his left hand. "The weapon is a part of you, and you're a part of the weapon. Use your body!" He then pushed the princess away lightly with his free hand, making Dawn gasp.

"Princess...?" Ash looked confused at the girl, as she stood there. "What's wrong?"

"P... Pervert..." The mercenary felt countless sweat-drops pour from his head as he saw the princess wrap her arms around her chest and look away shyly.

"Eeeh... I'm sorry, Lady Berlitz! It was never-..." He staggered back quickly, very flustered and uncomfortable... so flustered that he didn't notice the small rock that his foot got stuck on, causing him to fall onto his back. "Ouch..."

When Ash opened his eyes he could see the princess's satisfied smirk as she stood over him, her wooden-sword pointing against his throat.

"'If you lose your focus, you lose the battle'." She repeated his words with a big smile, then she added with a little tinge of red on her face, the smirk still there. "'Use your body'."

"You..." The mercenary's eyes were wide open. "Did you..." Her short giggle answered his question, causing him to smirk as well. "I haven't told you everything yet."

"What-...?" The girl's smile disappeared as she felt her feet getting swept from under her, causing her to fall lightly to the ground, now with the mercenary's wooden-sword at her throat.

"A battle is never over until both sides admit it's over." It seemed like Ash was too full of himself to even offer a young girl a single victory. "Yield, Lady Dawn Berlitz."

He then stretched out his hand to her, allowing her to use it as a support as she got up from the ground, dusting herself off.

"You cheated." Dawn both pouted and laughed after a while, when Ash had his back turned against her.

"There's no such thing as 'cheating' in a fight..." He then added, with a slight annoyed tone. "You, if anybody, would know that."

"You're right." The girl smirked as she poked her sword in his back. "You're dead, I won."

"Really...?" Dawn Berlitz's eyes widened as she saw that she had walked into his sword which was pointing out from under his arm. "I'd say it's my win... or would you prefer to call it a draw?"

"Sure, let's call it a draw." The blunette-girl shook her head at the mercenary's childishness. "Want to have another go?"

"Actually..." Ash looked up at the moon. "It's time for you to go to sleep now; I've heard that you have a meeting tomorrow."

"That's a great mood-breaker..." The girl muttered as she followed her bodyguard back into the castle, to her own room.

* * *

"This is where I take my leave, Lady Dawn." The mercenary did a short bow towards the princess. "I wish you a good night."

"Yeah... night..." Dawn sighed and looked at the young man. He looked so... plain... yet, everyone who had met him knew that it would be a while before they met any greater or stronger man... wait a minute...

The princess of Sinnoh blinked again. It was gone! The pictures... she didn't see them anymore! Even when she tried to recall the slaughter he had carried out on those men, she couldn't even imagine it anymore!

"Princess...?" The knight looked at her carefully. "Are you alright? You are… smiling..."

"Oh, right. Pardon me." The young woman beamed at him, causing him to take a short step back. "Well... I guess it's good night then..."

"Yeah... I guess it is..." It seemed like the man in front of her wanted to say something, yet he had a hard time saying it.

"Well..." The blue haired woman sighed. "Good night, then."

"Princess!" Dawn jumped slightly as the mercenary blurted out her title loudly. "I... I had... fun... tonight."

"_Fun...? …FUN!_" She wanted to scream with joy, it was the first time the knight had ever uttered such things to her, but she remained calm and smiled at him. "Yes, so did I."

She then took a quick step forward and stood on tiptoes, where she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, causing the man's eyes to shoot up.

"Good night, Ash." She then quickly closed the door behind herself as she ran into her room.

The knight and mercenary stood there for a while. Wondering why his right cheek burned and felt a strong urge to hold it in wonder.

"What was... that all about...?" He muttered as he shook his head and started to walk back to his patrol. "Very strange... very strange... very-... Pikachu?"

"Pi... kaaa...CHUUU!" The rest of the night was filled with shouts, lighting bolts and metal clashing together.

**End of chapter 13**

* * *

**How about that? Nothing wrong with a little pearlshipping, right? Even if it means to have to face an angered Pikachu...**

**I asked you about questions or riddles... But I decided to not stick with the same thing all the time! That's why, I've some questions for you:**

**First: In this chapter, one character acted rather OOC for a moment... But, by doing so, he/she spoke a dialog from the anime/manga "Bleach"... Can you remember the person who said it and what it was?**

**Second: In the next chapter, it will be Ash vs. Brock(!)... It's rather easy to tell who is going to win, right? But HOW do you think they will 'battle'?**

**It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

**R&R!  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello again! Welcome to the next chapter of the story! **

**Last time, Dawn got over her fear of Ash's actions (when he slaughtered those men) as she, at the same time, shared a moment with him later in the evening... But what will happen next?**

**It's good to see that many of you tried to answer the questions!  
For the Bleach-one: It was when Ash kicked in the door to Dawn's room and yelled "Gooood morning, princess!", since Ichigo's father does pretty much the same thing (a little more violent, though...)  
For the other... Well, I guess you need to read to find out! **

**I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!**

* * *

The branches swayed gently in the light wind as they barley let some light shine unto the ground of earth. The patch of earth, in question, was being walked on by two people and a pokemon.

The two mercenaries had gotten permission to take the princess of Sinnoh out for a walk in the woods, after they had scouted it thoroughly of course, by the king. But Ash knew that if it had been any other time, they would've been rejected. King Cyrus would let them do almost everything right now, when he noticed that his daughter didn't seem afraid of the raven haired young man. On the contrary, she seemed more attached to him than ever, much to the knight's embarrassment.

"Lady Dawn, are you sure this is necessary?" The sword-wielding young man asked hesitantly as they walked under the thick branches. "I can't understand why you're sure that you'll fall walking along here."

"Well, we don't know that for sure, do we?" The beautiful young girl beamed at him as she tightened her grip around his arm. "You never know about this kind of road, right?"

"Right..." The mercenary scratched his head, confused by the opposite sex's logic, while his partner only did a tired: "Pika-chu..."

The three of them continued to walk down the dimly lit path. The path was located to the eastern side of the castle, around a half mile from the outer wall, so the princess could escape into it if they came upon any danger.

"Pikachu, pipi?" The young man looked at his long-time friend with a slight frown. "Pika-chu?"

"Why wouldn't she be alright?" The frown deepened as he saw the yellow rodent let out another big sigh. "What?"

"Pika!" The little mouse started to wave its arms angrily towards the couple, causing the mercenary to sigh as the girl had a confused look on her face.

"Fine..." Ash then turned towards the princess, which made it slightly awkward since their faces would only be inches apart, so he broke their little arm-lock before he spoke. "Pikachu wonders, for some strange reason, if Lady Leona is alright."

"'Some strange reason'...?" The girl shook her head, clearly not impressed by the slightly older mercenary's denseness. "Well, who would be alright after knowing that the one you loved had kept such a big secret from you?"

The mercenary seemed to get it and nodded knowingly. While the rodent just did a face-palm, knowing that it was the exact same thing his partner did.

"Well, time heals all wounds, as they say." The blunette smiled slightly, still feeling sad for her best friend. "She's feeling down now, but I'm sure she'll get over it!"

"Your words are true, Lady Dawn." Sir Ash nodded agreeing, causing a tinge or red appear on the royal's cheeks. "Time heals all wounds, yet leave scars some times."

"Hey, Ash..." The older boy looked up, slightly annoyed that the younger woman had ruined his poetic moment. "You are not keeping any secrets from me, right? At least not something big?"

"Princess..." It seemed that the mercenary fought an inwardly battle, until he sent her a small smile. "Of course I am."

"I thought so-... What! ?" It seemed like that wasn't the answer the princess had expected when she finally took in what he said. "Ash! Come on, after all this time?"

"What can I say, princess?" The young man shrugged his shoulders, they were starting to come out into a clearing and Ash could hear water flowing. "All healthy relationships require secrets."

Once again, the mercenary had said something that he thought was totally normal. Yet, the deep blush on the girl when she heard him admit that they were in some sort of relationship was enough to make the rodent want to electrocute them both, to teach them a lesson of course.

"Ash, I-..." Dawn stopped herself when she heard someone plucking some strings. "Do you hear that?"

"Of course, Lady Dawn." It almost sounded as though the raven haired man was insulted. "Stay behind me, it could be an ambush."

So they walked forward, slowly. Ash in the front, with his right hand around his sheathed sword on his back, his left holding Dawn's right hand, as she walked behind him, and Pikachu walked at the back of the line, to counter against possible attacks from behind.

Ash narrowed his eyes as he saw a figure in nature-green clothes sitting on a rock by a small waterfall, holding some sort of string-instrument in his hands.

"Look, it's only a bard!" The princess declared with a big smile as she was about to walk towards him, only to be pulled back by her bodyguard. "What's the big idea?"

"I don't trust him, Lady Dawn..." Ash muttered as his grip around his sword's handle tightened. "It could still be an ambush..."

"You know what?" The princess coaxed her hand out of the mercenary's grip. "You're way too up-tight to be a boy your age! Come on, let's listen to him!"

"Wa-..." Ash lowered his hand, which he had stretched out in order to recapture the princess's hand, and let out a deep sigh. "Fine. But at least be careful..."

"Sure thing!" Dawn smiled widely at him with a smile that would've made many men melt and felt that they could've died happy, Ash just let out another sigh.

The blunette walked towards the green-clothed man, whose face was covered by a big, round hat, also of the color green.

"Greetings, lovely lady." He spoke in a sing-song voice, clearly showing that he was some kind of musician. "Would you care to hear a song?"

"Why, thank you, very much... Mr...?" Dawn did a slight curtsy as she wanted to know the name of the stranger.

"Nando Naoshi, my beautiful lady." He took off his hat and showed off long, black hair, the same color as Ash's. "I hope this song is to your pleasure:"

The bard-looking man cleared his throat and pinged on the instrument, he then started to sing.

"_Some called him a hero_

_Others called him a zero_

_Who was he, you ask_

_Explaining that is no simple task;_

_He grew up in the town of Pallet_

_Yes, about that was no ballot_

_His mother by plunderers, slain_

_None knew who on that would gain_

_A man, Riley Gen_

_Yes, he saved him then_

_The king and queen of the land were happy_

_The children's new playmate wasn't so snappy_

_Then, at the age of ten_

_The man named Gen_

_Returned and took him far away_

_To a place that reminded one of a bay_

_As true as a fair lady's name is Laura_

_He was being taught the ways of the Aura_

_At the age of thirteen_

_A guardian he became without a scene_

_But the day after tomorrow_

_The world would go into sorrow_

_Riley Gen, his friend and teacher_

_Was killed by a man with one distinct feature_

_Evil as the murderer of murderers_

_The killer was seen by the herders_

_The Dark Aura slew his leader_

_To know that you didn't need to be a mind reader_

_The sorrow didn't end there_

_The death of the royal family he needed to bear_

_His shadow on the world, gone_

_Yet, none held their tongue_

_A rumor started a month ago_

_Amongst any other it would outgrow_

_The young boy who was said to be killed_

_Was not that unskilled_

_As true as I am a bard_

_He has become a_-"

"Princess, we need to go." Ash grabbed her arm as Pikachu started to push at her leg. "It's getting late, and you need to be up early tomorrow."

"What?" Dawn tried to best to struggle free from the mercenary's grip. "Let me go! Don't you see that this song is about Sir Ash Ketchum, the Aura Guardian? I want to know what became of him!"

"You shouldn't believe in rumors, Lady Dawn." The girl had no chance against the young man's strength, so she slowly but surely was dragged away against her will. "A royalty only believes in facts, otherwise her kingdom will fall."

"Let me go!" She tried to kick and punch him, but those attacks didn't even make Ash flinch, nor cause him to show any pain.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Naoshi." The mercenary did a short bow. "But we need to go, we're in a rush."

"Of course, of course!" The man spoke in his sing-song voice once again. "Don't mind me, it was a pleasure to tell you the story!"

The raven haired, young man's eyes delayed on the bard a while longer, until he then started to walk towards the castle with a protesting young woman in his grip.

* * *

"Seriously, Ash... what's your problem?" The princess stood there with her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at him. "That may be the only time I'll be able to hear something about The Aura Guardian!"

"You don't believe the words of a bard, do you, Lady Dawn?" Ash answered her calmly as he gazed around the stone-dressed hall that was right outside the princess's bedroom. "They take any kind of known story and make it more 'exciting', just so people will listen to them."

"So, you're saying that his words were lies?" Dawn's glare narrowed on the mercenary's eyes, Ash felt slightly sweaty. "You don't believe them at all?"

"Well... Ehum..." The blue-haired beauty was actually surprised to see the raven haired knight being so uncomfortable. "This isn't a matter of whether it's true or not... as long as it's only counted as speculations, we can't decide if it's a fact."

"You didn't answer my question, Ash..." Pikachu looked on with slight confusion as the princess took a step towards the young man, with the man in question taking two steps back. "Do you believe his story, or not?"

"I... I..." The mercenary cleared his throat and glanced at the rodent, who gave him a quick nod. "It's time for us to patrol the castle... Good night, princess. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wha-... Hey! Wait!..." Dawn stretched out her hand towards him, but lowered it slowly as she saw him walk away quickly. "_I didn't even bring up the thing that had happened last night..._" She thought with a sigh as she returned to her room.

"Something wrong, princess Dawn?" The blunette's head snapped up at the sound of her best friend's voice. She saw her standing there folding her clothes. "Aren't you feeling well?"

"Leona!" The young woman forgot about Ash for the moment, this was the first time her friend had shown herself since the incident with Rudy Firetree... or Waterflower, whatever he wanted to call himself. "How are you feeling?"

"What? Oh... you mean that..." The girl with short brown hair lit up and waved her hands dismissively. "Don't worry, Lady Dawn, don't worry! I'm already over it!"

"I... see..." Dawn both believed and doubted her friend. She didn't think that she still hoped that Rudy would come back, nor did she believe that she would accept him even if he came crawling back on his hands and knees... But the wound he had left on her probably still hurt the chambermaid a great deal. "Well, if you need to talk about it... you know."

"I get it. Thank you, Lady Dawn." Leona answered with a smile, a brief flash of pain in her eyes, as she placed the last dress into the wardrobe. "But this event has made me open my eyes more. I couldn't care less about him!"

"I see. That's great, Leona!" The princess nodded satisfied as she started to, with the help of the chambermaid, change into her night-clothes. "You can forget about him, there's millions of better men out there!"

"Yeah, I know!" Her friend answered her energetic. "I don't want to change my whole lifestyle just because of one man!"

"Absolutely not!" The blue-headed girl agreed as she got under the bed's covers. "You are who you are, and if they can't accept it, they can just get out!"

"I couldn't agree more!" It seemed like the young brunette was really hyped up now. "I need to go after a man who doesn't demand much of me, who is down to earth and has no problems of spending time without me!"

"Totally!" The princess had stopped talk like a royal a long time ago. It always happens when she enters a lively discussion with her best friend.

"Someone like Sir Ash!" The chambermaid pumped her fist into the air, as she had decided who her new target should be.

"Yeah! Just like-... WHAT? !"

* * *

It was a cold night, the guards shivered in their metal-armor as they looked over the wall. It was a common mistake on their part. They always expected that the enemy would first be sighted at the foot of the big stonewall... of course, that would be the case if there were an army. But what if it was only a lone man and a few pokemon? Especially if they were highly trained assassins who have already passed the guards and made their ways over the rooftops towards a certain window.

The tiles on the roofs resonated softly as the man stepped on them with light, flying steps. If anyone looked up from the streets below, they would've said that he was flying through the air. It was no feat that any normal man could achieve; he had after all been trained, since he could walk, in the ways of an assassin.

The man in green clothes and hat, with jet black hair, stopped as he finally had a good view of the window of his target. He could see the being sleeping soundly in there... but he could never be too sure.

"I need your help, my friend." His voice was low and quiet, but you could still hear the slight musical tone in it. "Aid me with your power of slumber; we can't afford the target waking up."

"Kricke!" The red cricket-like pokemon with gray eyes nodded as it silently hovered towards the window as it buzzed silently, preparing for its attack.

The Kricketune placed itself on the windowsill of the target's window, there she put her scythes together and rubbed them carefully against each other. Its body started to glow silver white as, slowly but surely, golden notes started to appear and float towards the sleeping girl with blue hair.

Then, when the notes made contact with her, they just popped lightly and disappeared. The only difference on the target's status would be that her breathing had gotten deeper as she had been put in a deep sleep.

"Thank you, my trusted friend." Nando Naoshi smiled sadly as he brought out his brown and black lute.

The assassin lifted his instrument and held such that it was perpendicular to his body. He then reached into the hollow of the instrument and pulled out a short golden-colored arrow with a sharp metal tip.

He took one of the lute's strings and pulled it back to the end of the body, which he then notched the arrow on, much like a crossbow.

"I ask that you forgive me, beautiful princess of Sinnoh." He muttered as he pulled a small trigger, that caused the arrow to shoot through the air, aimed straight and true towards the body of the sleeping princess.

Nando closed his eyes, he never wanted to see the death of one of his target's, it caused him to have trouble sleeping the following night.

"Let's go, Kricketune." He said shortly, his voice had lost some of its sing-song quality. "We're done here."

"Kri-kri... ket..." The astonished sound of his partner made him turn around, and caused his eyebrows to shoot up in amazement.

"I don't take it kindly to people who force themselves into my borders and threaten my missions..." The mercenary in a black cloak with silver-armor stood on the ledge, next to the windowsill, as he held the arrow between his middle- and index-fingers which he had caught mid-flight! "Mr. Bard..."

"Oh, my..." The bard/assassin smiled at the mercenary/bodyguard. "You truly are as impressive as the stories say... Sir Ash Aaron Ketchum..."

"Figures. I had a feeling that you'd know my name..." The mercenary muttered as he glared at him, before glancing at the arrow in his hand. "I see Hoenn sends their regards."

"W-What?" Nando hissed as he heard those words. "What are you talking about? Can't you tell from the design of arrow?"

"Yes, I can truly see that this arrow is a model from Johto, and it has the colors for it, too..." A dark smile appeared on the bodyguard's face. "But no matter how insulted they are, they wouldn't make it so obvious if they were to attack the princess, especially since Sinnoh is much more superior in military might compared to Johto."

"But, how-"

"The Shijin-group." It seemed like Ash already knew the answer to his question before he had even asked it. "A group of assassins dressed up as bards, minstrels, or poets. They are not known to any other region, apart from Hoenn, especially since they're under the control of the royal family... although, there have been cases of side-jobs here and there."

A quick snort was heard from the bard, and then it developed into full blown laughter.

"Amazing! Truly amazing!" He stilled his laugh and continued to watch the mercenary, who didn't look amused. "First you saved the princess in the forest, by pulling her out of the line of fire of my Kricketune's Perish Song. Then you figured out where and when I would strike and even caught my arrow with your bare hand... and, lastly, you have seen through my scam of making you believe that Johto had hired me! Your reputation, both as a mercenary and as a legend, is just as they say! Well, apart from the 'Three Meters Tall'-part..."

"Takes one to know one, I guess..." It seemed like, as usual, the mercenary wasn't willing to talk. "Just answer one question: Did the royal family of Sinnoh send you, or are you doing this of your own volition?"

"And depending on my answer?" Nando smiled as he loaded a new arrow onto the improvised crossbow.

"I will kill you, whichever answer you give me." Ash told him truthfully as he brought out his long-bow and drew out an arrow from his holster, also with a slight smile on his face.

"Well, then you aren't giving me much of a choice, former Guardian of the Aura...!" The sing-song voice completely disappeared as he pulled the trigger and fired an arrow towards Ash who, at the same time, had fired one of his own.

They both jumped to the side as they dodged the arrows from their opponents. Nando landed gracefully on another roof as Ash rolled around slightly before he got up... However, the second after he had gotten up, another arrow was fired from him.

Nando seemed to have figured it out beforehand and used the broad side of his improvised crossbow to block it... But his eyes widened as Ash came charging towards him, with his bow in his left hand and a sword in his right.

"Impressive, Sir Ketchum!" Nando laughed as he loaded the weapon at an incredible speed and took aim at the charging young man... "But it takes more than that to defeat me."

"Hmph, seems like it." The mercenary muttered as he broke from his charge and retreated to the side, now sheathing his sword. "And call me Ash, please!" By the 'please', he had fired another arrow which pierced the top of the bard's hat.

"Kricketune!" The bard/assassin called to his partner, who quickly stepped forward from the shadows, behind Ash, as it slashed at him with a silver-glowing claw.

"Damn it..." Another mutter was heard from Ash as he drew an arrow against the pokemon, making it back away slightly. He was now facing two opponents and he couldn't call on Pikachu since he needed him to guard the princess. "It seems like I underestimated you, Mr. Nando."

"And I you, Sir Ash." The bard panted as he loaded his bow and took aim at the moving mercenary. "It's truly a joyful battle, indeed!"

"That depends on the outcome." Ash said as he once again threw himself out of the arrow's path, after which he then had to roll away from the pokemon's attack. "But tell me this: Why are you doing it? The look in your eyes isn't that of a man who enjoys killing for money."

"Neither do yours, Sir Mercenary." The assassin sent him a weak smile as he loaded another arrow. "But we all do what we have to do."

"I agree..." It looked bad for Ash. Sure, if it had been one on one, he would've probably made it... But now it was two against one, and his opponents' teamwork was flawless... But a crossbow took more time to load than an ordinary bow, it also made Nando less mobile... With all cards on the table, it would be an even match. "But why don't you just quit? Why not join an army? Or, even better, be a real traveling bard?"

"Your words sound wonderful." Nando agreed as he once again loaded his crossbow, while dodging an arrow from Ash, he was still rather annoyed to have a hole in his hat. "But, even if I wanted to, I can't quit. The Shijin-group would never let me see the end of the day... You stay, or you die. That's their unchanged policy."

"Sounds like a really great slogan in enticing new recruits..." The bodyguard mumbled to himself as he could feel his quiver running out of arrows. "Then, let's finish this."

"Absolutely." It seemed as the bard's sing-song voice was slowly returning. "This has gone on long enough and the sun is going to soon come over the mountains."

Ash noticed the pokemon attacking him from behind, causing him do an about turn and send a kick into the Kricketune's stomach, sending it flying down the rooftop, most likely dazed or unconscious with the impact of the ground.

He then started to run towards the bard, whom thought he was going to use his sword again. Nando aimed at Ash's stomach. But, suddenly, Ash broke from his run, got down on one knee and slid, with the momentum from his run, towards the bard as the arrow flew over his head.

"_I won..._" Was the thought that flew through Ash's head as he let the arrow fly from his bow, it flew straight towards the bard... Only to be blocked at an awkward angle by the crossbow. "_Dammit!_"

Ash suddenly got up, as he loaded the bow in one swift motion, and took aim at the bard. Only to see that he, too, held his loaded crossbow to Ash's head.

Nando had taken a great gamble the moment before. He had managed to block the arrow with the neck of his crossbow, making it very likely that one would've missed it... But it had hit, and he swiftly reloaded his weapon.

So there they stood now. In a position where Ash was on one knee and bow aimed at the bard's throat, and Nando's crossbow aimed at Ash's head, as he stood up.

"So..." The mercenary seemed to ponder for a moment. "This was interesting... Either we both die, or we both live..." His grip on the bow and arrow didn't even quiver. "How do you want to do it?"

"The choice is easy, Mr. Former Aura Guardian..." The bard smiled sadly as Ash noticed the muscles in his hand tense. "I'd feel more honored to be killed by you than them..."

He then pushed the trigger on his weapon, causing the strings to shake violently, as he felt his death coming closer... he closed his eyes...

"Is it my turn now...?" The bard's eyes shot up, surprised that both he and the mercenary were still alive.

He saw Ash standing up now, his arrow hadn't even left the bow... so how could he be alive?

"I don't know if the legendaries favored me, or if it just was destiny..." Nando looked at his weapon as Ash talked. "But my arrow, that you blocked, weakened the string. It simply snapped as you put a little more pressure on it when you tried to fire..."

"Such misfortune..." The bard sighed deeply. Yet he smiled a little, glad that he would face a quick death and pay for his crimes. "Can I beg of you to do it quickly?"

"Of course." Ash nodded, no emotion visible on his face. "You won't feel any pain."

The mercenary then took a step back, most likely to make sure that no blood spattered on him. He took aim at the bard's head and hesitated... then he took a deep breath, and at the moment Nando saw the sun rise over the mountains, blinding him slightly as he heard the arrow leave the bow and jumped a bit as he felt a tinge of fear in his body... Then, nothing...

"Nando, the assassin of the Shijin-group has just died." The older man was in shock as he felt his right ear, which the arrow had grazed. "You are Nando, the bard of Sinnoh."

"W-Why...?" His eyes were completely open and his hands trembled as he looked at the raven haired boy in front of him. "Why? Aren't you Ash, the mercenary. The man who slaughtered men, women and children for the sake of money? Why would you spare me? Who is just like-"

"-Like me." Ash filled in with a comforting smile. "You're not the only one that dislikes taking lives. When I look into your eyes... I see myself in them, too. You showed no fear when you were about to die, only regret."

"Pika!" The bard jumped slightly as the rodent had placed himself on the mercenary's right shoulder now that the danger was over and the princess safe.

"What is it that you regret?" The bard didn't know why... But he was filled with a warm feeling when the mercenary looked at him with those hard, yet understanding eyes. This was the kind of man who led men and never faltered. Nando felt something he hadn't felt in years... He felt hope.

"I... I regret..." It seemed like Ash waited for him to talk to finish, probably for the first time. "I... regret joining them."

"And it's not something you can undo, Nando." Even Pikachu was surprised to hear Ash not using any honorifics for the bard. "However, there is one thing that you can do."

"That is...?" The bard's voice didn't contain any more of its sing-song quality, he felt too shocked by emotions to think of it. "What can I do?"

"Live." The older man took a step back, nearly having a heart-attack. Live? Such a simple word, just to make up for everything he's done...? "Live and help with the things you do best: Sing, tell stories and protect. Tell the story of hope towards those in despair, tell the story of poverty towards those who are rich, tell the story of love towards those in loneliness... Never stop telling stories and helping people... Do that to the end of your life, and I'm certain you'll be forgiven."

Nando sank down to his knees. Only a man who had lived through the stories of despair and loss would understand his words, let alone speak it.

"Yes..." Ash relaxed and another smiled appeared on his face as he heard the bard's weak voice. "Yes!" It was stronger now as he stood up. "Yes! You are right, Sir Ash!"

"Call me Ash, Mr. Bard." The mercenary did a slight nod towards him, as a greeting for the reborn man. "The events that occurred this night will be kept secret. The only story that will be let out is that the princess was attacked by an assassin with a crossbow and I, Ash the mercenary, killed him and disposed of the body."

"Ash..." The man's musical voice had appeared again as his eyes were filled with new hope. "I will never forget your name, so you may call me Nando. I hope we will meet again."

"Why wouldn't we, Nando?" Ash smiled, a true smile, at him. "Don't move too far from this town... I'm certain that the princess is going to marry someone in the near future... " Nando didn't know if he imagined the disappointed expression on the mercenary's face, or not. "and, if that happens, I am not allowed to guard her anymore... Pikachu and I would gladly take in another traveling-companion."

"Ash Aaron Ketchum and Pikachu, partner of Ash." The two companions looked at the bard. "I would gladly join you on your adventure, no matter how long I have to wait." He then got down on a knee, bowing before them. "I thank you with my whole heart!"

"Arise, Nando the bard." Ash chuckled slightly, taking Pikachu by another surprise. "You don't have to bow to me... I have left that life behind me, and I don't plan on going back."

"So we both have that in common, I see." The bard smile as he picked up his used weapon and looked at it. "I will dispose of this... But I will get a smaller version of a real crossbow, only for protection and hunting."

"Sounds like wise words, Nando." Ash and Pikachu nodded at him.

"I haven't heard the full story of 'Ash the Aura Guardian'..." The man turned around and started to walk away, as they heard the guards changing their shifts. "But I will look forward to hearing it someday from you in person. I bid you farewell, for now!"

"Goodbye, Nando the bard." Ash smiled, followed by a: "Pikachuu!" As they saw him disappear from the roofs, only to start walking on the streets below towards his fainted pokemon.

"Pik-chu?" The rodent suddenly asked as he looked at Ash. "Pika-chu-chu?"

"Really? How was I acting strange?" The mercenary looked at the rodent with his head tilted. "Now that you mention it... I do feel a little stiff in the shoulders..." His words made the rodent fall down anime-style, once again.

"By the way..." The rodent got up and looked at him. "How long have I been awake now?"

"Pikaa." The rodent answered him with a giant sweat-drop at the back of his head.

"Forty hours..." The mercenary started to look slightly pale. "Well, I can sleep two hours until it's time for the princess to wake up."

"Pi." The rodent shook on his head, making all the color disappear from the young man's face. "Pikachu pi pi."

"Right... the meeting with Mr. Harrison..." The bodyguard's head hung low as he walked with heavy steps towards the castle... people who looked at him would wonder what he was doing on a roof so early in the morning.

* * *

The blue-haired girl stretched her arms as she looked around in her room. She had awoken but a few seconds ago, when the light of the sun reached her closed eyes. It was early, but she didn't know just how early... But, as usual, her very dear friend Leona was in the room and preparing the clothes she was to be wearing today.

"Good morning, Leona." Dawn yawned, only to earn a glare from the chambermaid. "What?"

"Princess! A lady shouldn't yawn so openly!" It seemed like Leona mostly was Dawn's chambermaid first, and a friend second. "And good morning."

"How can you manage to be up so early, and still be so cheerful?" The girl mumbled, more to herself than to her friend, as she made her way towards the bath in the adjacent room. Leona helped her with the clothes and she sank a few minutes later into the hot water. "Can't I just be allowed to sleep a little more?"

"Don't be silly, Lady Dawn." Leona scolded her slightly as she washed her back with a sponge that was a little too rough for the 18 years old girl's taste. "As they say: The early bird catches the worm!"

"Since when...?" The young woman muttered as she blinked out the sleepiness in her eyes.

"Since when?" A smug smile appeared on Leona's face as she leaned forward and whispered into the princess's ear. "Since I met Sir Ash this morning... And did I mention that he was changing clothes?"

"Leona!" The princess's eyes shot up as she gasped and blushed at the same time. "You cheated!" It seemed it was clear that both of the girls had a slight friendly competition over the woefully unaware young man. "Did you really see him without clothes?"

"Alright, I lied about the clothes-part..." The girl admitted with a slightly far away look and a little drool in the corner of her mouth. "But I did actually meet him this morning. He was on his way to see Mr. Brock."

"Well then, why don't we go and meet them then?" Dawn asked as she got up from the bath. Only to be wrapped in a towel, courtesy of Leona. "Let's hurry up and get dressed, I'm curios with what they do."

* * *

This was a new record for Dawn to get dressed... it took only thirty minutes instead of the usual hour. Of course, her hair didn't look as good as she wanted it to and so on, but the thought of seeing Ash made her ignore those things as she and her friend walked down the red and brown carpets that lay along the corridors of the castle, surrounded by stone-walls and paintings of all her relatives and ancestors, whose names she was forced to remember.

They came to the big red door that led to the king's advisor chambers, of which Dawn had never been in before. The blue-haired girl knocked and waited for an answer... She pushed open the door as she heard an absent "Come in" from the other side.

The sight after she had opened the door made her gasp and blush a deep red color.

It wasn't because of Brock or Ash, who were sitting around a table... What really made her gasp was the room of the advisor.

"Oh, my..." Was the astonished voice of her friend and chambermaid, and it properly conveyed what she thought at the moment.

The room had a single window that was showed the eastern gate and port. He had a king-size bed... although it only seemed as though the left side had never been used. A red carpet covered the floor of the room, three walls were covered with bookshelves that were stuffed with all kinds of books. In the middle of the room was a square-table and four chairs on each side.

It was a rather normal room... if it hadn't been for one thing.

The wall, opposite of the bed, was covered with paintings that would make most high-class woman feel soiled as well as faint.

The motives on the paintings were fully colored and could be explained with one word:... offensive... It wasn't really necessary to say that the motives consisted of one, or sometimes more, women in different positions. Without clothes, of course.

"Brock Harrison!" The advisor let out a short shriek of fear as he heard the voice of the royalty filled with hate. "What is the meaning behind all those paintings?"

"I have gotten permission from the king, princess Dawn." The squint-eyed man was quick to explain himself as he waved his hands defensively in front of himself. "I have paid for everything and nothing is illegal here!"

"But how dare you expose Ash to these kinds of things?" The young woman with blue hair demanded to know as her eyes flared with anger, causing the brown-haired man to sink down onto his chair, cowering in fear.

"In- In my defense, Lady Dawn..." The advisor gulped and glanced at the mercenary. "He doesn't seem to mind them at all!"

Of course, as soon as he said those words he understood how wrong they sounded... True, all color disappeared from the princess's face as she walked with heavy steps towards the table, only to suddenly stop with a confused face. Leona just watched this in wonder and amusement.

"Ash...?" No response, it seemed that whatever it was, the man was very distracted by the thing on the table.

Dawn, fearing that it was a new edition to Brock's wall hurried to the side of the table, so she stood with her back against the wall with paintings, followed by Leona.

"You are... playing chess?" The princess watched with an empty look at the very focused Ash as he narrowed his eyes onto the board.

"It seems like this is a first for him, Lady Dawn." Brock explained as he sat with crossed arms. "I usually finish a game of chess within half an hour... However, this has gone on for two hours."

"Is he really that good?" Dawn was astonished, for the second time this day. How can somebody hold out for two hours, especially against Brock who was a rather well known chess-player in the royal court of Sinnoh.

"It isn't that he's so good..." A giant sweat-drop was visible on Brock as he watched the mercenary slowly move his hand towards one of his pieces. "It's more like he takes an unbelievable long time to move..."

"Oh..." Dawn understood what he meant as she saw the hand slowly grab a Knight, only to be interrupted by a: "Pika-Pika!"

"You're right, Pikachu..." The mercenary slowly nodded to his partner, who was perched on his shoulder. "We will leave the flank open to the queen... we have to protect everyone from the royal family, otherwise the king won't be able to perform to his fullest..."

"Pika." The rodent nodded with determination.

"Are... you sure that Ash has completely understood the game." Dawn asked hesitantly as she finally saw him grab one of his remaining few Pawns.

"Well... to a certain extent." Brock sweat-dropped when he saw Ash take out his pawn instead of his Bishop. "I've been taking it easy on him this whole time, but I think it's time to end this."

He then moved his Rook and took out Ash's on the opposite side, surprising the knight.

"You can't move that!" Ash declared with a firm voice as Pikachu sparked his cheeks. "That's cheating."

"No, Sir Ash..." Brock's sweat-drop grew only bigger and bigger. "You can move this piece as far as you want, in any straight direction."

"Don't be foolish with me." The mercenary shook his head. "Even an idiot can see that this piece is shaped like a guard-tower! You can't move a guard-tower so easily!"

"Ash..." Brock face-palmed himself as he shook his head. "Trust me, I promise you that you can move this piece in that manner."

"Alright, I trust you..." The mercenary and rodent glared slightly at the advisor, still not fully believing him.

Then another five minutes passed as the mercenary-duo looked at the board, wondering what they should do... attack or defend? Why wasn't he able to see the fighting-spirit of his pieces, or see the strength in his Pawns? What kind of unrealistic game was this? Why can't they flank their enemies? He could easily take down the king if he just-

"ASH! How long time are you going to take, really! ?" The two mercenaries jumped in their chairs, clearly surprised by the scream that hit their ears.

"Princess/Pika-chuu?" It seemed as though the two bodyguards had been so into the game that they hadn't notice the two girls standing there watching them, much less hearing them talk to Brock. "What are you doing here, Lady Dawn and Lady Leona?"

"We came here to see what you were doing... but now I want to yell at you for taking so long to make a move!" The princess declared with an angry voice. It was so clear that Ash was going to lose, so why not just get it over with? "Just move a damn piece!"

"Yes, Lady Dawn!" She was surprised to see that both Ash and Pikachu salute her as they turned their attention back to the board. Then, a few seconds later, Ash took his Knight and took out the Rook that Brock had moved.

"I was hoping you'd do that." Brock smirked as he took his Queen and took out Ash's Bishop two squares from the king. "Checkmate."

Dawn let out a long sigh... finally the game was over, and she would be able to spend time alone with Ash and-...

The two girls let out a high shriek as they saw Ash draw out his sword and Pikachu's tail glow silver-white, each one of them making a sweeping-motion towards the chess board, making the table split in two.

"I won." Ash declared with a content smile on his face as he sheathed his sword and Pikachu perched itself on his shoulder, an equally satisfied smile on the rodent.

"ARE YOU STUPID!'?" Ash and Pikachu had been through many battles, they had seen countless deaths and dealt out as many in their line of duty... But both of them cowered in fear at the princess's very angry outburst. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SWINGING YOUR SWORD AROUND INSIDE THE CASTLE!'? YOU EVEN SPLIT THE TABLE!"

"I-... I-..." The scared mercenary took a deep breath and his eyes closed. Then, when he opened them, he had regained his normal stoic look. "The purpose of this game was to eliminate the opponent's king, while protecting his own, correct?"

"Well... It's true, but-..." The princess, who also had calmed down, agreed hesitantly, until she was interrupted by Ash.

"And that was exactly what we did." He was agreed with a happy: "Pi-kachu!"

The princess looked at them with an empty look and her mouth slightly agape... even more so as a pale Brock held up his King and Queen, both split perfectly in half...

"Just... Just, forget it, Ash..." There was still a cross-popping vein on the back of her head as she tried to reign in her anger. "Dad wants to meet you, Pikachu, Brock and me... So I suggest we go and meet with him as soon as possible."

"Understood, princess." Ash and Pikachu nodded as they got up and were about to walk out the door, before they turned around and looked at Brock. "A very amusing and relaxing game, chess, let's play it again sometime!" He was followed up by a: "Pikachu!"

Brock only looked at the broken table with tears in his eyes, he mourned for the chessboard that he had gotten from the King of Sinnoh himself...

* * *

_Several hours later; Some cities away from Hearthome City..._

* * *

"This is incredibly stupid..." Muttered a certain young mercenary with raven black hair. "How is this going to help me relax...?"

He could still recall the king's voice and satisfied smile as he spoke those words this morning:

"_Sir Ash! I have gotten word about how you have seemed exhausted recently, even to the extent of __forgoing meals." Ash glared hatefully at the advisor to his side, who started to sweat profusely. The king continued, oblivious to what was going on. "As you understand, we can't have a man, who's not able to carry out his duty to the fullest, guarding the royal princess of Sinnoh."_

"_Of course not, sire." Ash bowed low, Pikachu right next to him and Brock behind him. Dawn stood at her father's side and looked rather worried. "Just let me rest for a few hours, and then I'll be able to carry out my mission to the fullest once again."_

"_I am afraid it's not that simple, Sir Ash." The young man looked at the older king, with a hard and confused look. "You can't relive stress by just sleeping for a short time, trust me..."_

"_Then, what do you suggest, my king?" Ash didn't know what to think or feel as he eyed the king, a man who was truly a master of not revealing anything. "Is sire implying that we should break our contract?"_

"_No!" All the males in the throne-room looked at the princess, who had a slightly red face after her sudden outburst. But the king only cleared his throat, slightly annoyed and embarrassed. "No, Sir Ash, I wouldn't go so far as to suggest that."_

"_Then, what, my king?" Ash could see that even the blond captain, Cynthia, had entered the room as she watched the kneeling mercenary, whom she sent a small smile at._

"_Stress and exhaustion isn't something that is so easy to cure..." The king seemed to be approaching his finale now, soon he would reveal the things that he had decided. "That's why I am suggesting that you take two days off."_

"_Is it really necessary to rest that long, sire?" The king only nodded at the young man's question, making a grim look appear on Ash's face. "I understand. If you'll excuse me, I'll be heading back to my quarters now."_

"_Hold on, I haven't finished yet." Ash stopped mid-stride from getting up from his kneeling-position. "It isn't enough by just resting. You need to have as little thought and contact with your mission as possible... That is why I have decided that:" He got up from his throne and spoke with authority. "Sir Ash, knight of Sinnoh. I, King Cyrus Berlitz of Sinnoh, hereby ban you from the walls of Hearthome City for two days! You are to leave within an hour and not return until you have reached Pastoria City and stayed there for at least five hours, before you are able to return here."_

_The two mercenaries, captain, princess and advisor all had empty looks on their faces, their mouths open wide in shock. _

_"Do you understand me, Sir Ash?" The king had gotten a softer look on his face as he sat himself down onto his throne once again, happy that all this was over now. "Did I make myself clear?"_

"_Y-Yes..., sire..." Ash blinked a few times, to make sure he was still in the realm of reality. "But, if you don't mind me asking... What about the princess? Isn't she in danger now that I am leaving?"_

"_True, that would be the case..." Cyrus agreed, but a calm smile appeared on his face immediately. "But that's why Sir Pikachu, who doesn't seem to be exhausted at all, and Captain Cynthia will take over your duties as stand-ins for those two days."_

"Of course Pikachu wouldn't be tired..._" Ash thought with a dark face. "_He's been sleeping on my shoulder as soon as he wants to rest..._" But instead he said: "And what does the Captain and Pikachu think about this?"_

_The king turned to them, looked knowingly. "Well?"_

"_Euhm..." It seemed as the king's words had taken even the captain by surprise, but she was not one to falter. "If it's your highness's wish, I will make it happen."_

_The rodent just puffed its little chest with pride and waved his left paw and follow with a proud: "Pika-chu, chu-pi!"_

"_Very good," The king nodded, satisfied. "it seems as though we are in agreement."_

"_Hold on!" Everyone's attention turned towards the princess, who stood there and didn't seem too happy about the outcome. "Don't I have a say in this?"_

"_Well, of course, Dawn..." The smile on Cyrus's face grew bigger, he had been preparing for this outcome. "But are you sure you'd like Sir Ash to collapse from exhaustion? It could be dangerous for him."_

"_I-..." Dawn knew when she was defeated, so her head hung low as she said: "I have no objections..."_

"_Excellent!" The king clapped his hands, to make his orders absolute. "Then, Sir Ash, I suggest you hasten to pack. You're to leave in thirty minutes."_

"Unbelievably stupid idea..." Was another mutter from the mercenary. "Since when do I need to take a vacation?"

"But..." He changed his mind slightly as he saw the beautiful city in front of him. "Staying here for a few hours may not be so bad after all..."

**End of chapter 14**

* * *

**How did you like THAT poem? That one took more time to come up with, than the whole chapter... :/**

**You've probably figured it out already... but the correct answer for Brock vs. Ash would be "Chess"! ^^  
**

**Question Time!  
As you see, Ash will take a short vacation from all this bodyguard business... But it won't be as relaxing as he thinks. He will encounter a girl (that he has _not _met before). So, the question is: "Who do YOU think he'll meet in the next chapter?" (_Hint: She appeared rather early in the anime_)**

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**_NOTE! ! ! !_  
This fic's ending will be a little special... In which way? I'll let YOU decide the ending! So, I'd like to ask you to vote on my profile, with the poll. Make sure you vote, so it doesn't end to your dislike!**

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**It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

**R&R!  
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	15. Chapter 15

**Welcome back!  
In the previous chapter, Ash broke Brock's chessboard (he wasn't that good at the game, it seemed like...). Then the king forced him to take a short vacation, due to suspecting that he might be exhausted... But how much calm and relaxation will our mercenary get? Only this chapter will tell! **

**This could be taken for a "Filler" chapter... However, there's some small things in this chapter, that will matter rather much in the future! **

**Ah, I almost forgot... If you're a hardcore pearlshipper, and can't stand to see Ash as much as coming into contact with another girl... Then I highly suggest you to _not_ read a certain part (can't tell which one, though! ^^), even though it doesn't really prove any shipping-evidence from Ash's side... Or will it...?  
**

**The question in the chapter before asked what girl he would meet... Some of you got it right (very good!). But others seemed to forget that "Movies" also counts as "Anime"! ;P**

**I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!**

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It was a typical Seaside City. To the south was a large dock with many fishing boats anchored in it. Many people, both young and old, were busy sorting out their catch in the boats. A fisherman with a red cap was fixing his next, a mother with three children walked past him and behind them was a girl in a white dress walking along the pier. To the opposite side were two men, seemingly drunk, half-dancing along the street towards another pub. In other words: The people in this city seemed to be as normal as they came.

Other than the dock, it had several houses for families to live in. The city also had a blacksmith and armory, two taverns that seemed to be competing with each other, three different grocery-stores that seemed to belong to the same chain. Some sort of medical-facility that were probably mostly used by the old and newly born... It was a busy town, and the best part about it, was that they didn't pay much attention to outside rumor... In other words: He would doubt that anyone would recognize him, much less have heard of him!

"Well, I guess it's time to see the city up-close." Ash hummed to himself. He was in a really good mood, although his right shoulder felt slightly cold, since there wasn't a yellow rodent perched on it this time. "_Where should I start?_"

As Ash walked along the street, he found himself in the middle of an old apartment-complex and saw two old men playing his newly-found game chess... He was pondering if he should join them and give them some pointers or advice... But he decided not to, since they seemed to be too into the game to notice anything else.

He needed a place to stay... He could, of course, sleep outside. But if he really wanted to have a good rest, it would be best to sleep under a roof. The mercenary had gotten some money from the king, so the price wouldn't be a problem at all. He didn't have much luggage either... The only thing Ash really brought with him was The Sword of Kanto, hidden under his newly-washed brown cloak, black boots, a shirt and some brown pants. He wanted to look as discrete as possible so he hadn't brought his long-bow with him, since it would be so much harder to hide than his usual sword.

But there he walked, with his brown hood pulled over his head and looking down towards the ground. Even though he had hoped that it would make him invisible, the dangerous aura that he emitted still kept people from looking at him or walk towards him.

He saw his chosen tavern in the distance and walked toward it. It was made completely of wood with a black roof and red painted walls. It seemed nice and not too shabby, a little too nice for Ash's taste... But he decided to use it anyway, since things like this didn't happen too often.

"H-Hey... W- *hick*- where do ya think yer... *hick*... going?" The mercenary looked curiously at the three possible drunks. He would've been sorry for them if they had bothered him. Fortunately, they seemed to have surrounded a girl with brown hair who was wearing a white dress instead. "Hey! We-*hick*- talking to ya!"

"Please, good sirs... I don't want any trouble." Ash just shrugged his shoulders, why should he help? This is his vacation, anyway... besides, the other people didn't seem to want to help either, they just continued to walk by as though nothing was happening.

"W-Well...*hick*- That ya should've thou*hick*-ght of bef-before ya started to*hick*-..." This was just plain stupid, Ash knew he should leave right away... But why didn't he do it? "Ho-How*hick*- Are ya going to ma-make up for it...?"

"I'm sorry... I don't understand what you mean." The brunette had clear blue eyes... But those eyes didn't show any fear. "Please, let's calm down. I'm just a Temple Maiden of the Shamouti Island."

The three drunk men, all with light brown hair, didn't seem to hear any word of that except for "maiden"... And since they were drunk, lonely men in their middle-ages... only one thought was in their head, especially since the girl, who was probably around 18 or 19, looked very beautiful.

"_Shamouti Island_..." Ash's face was emotionless, but it seemed as though he'd heard of it... "_That's right! How could I forget? It's a temple for women and young children that worships the aura and help the sick and injured... legend has it that mighty bird-pokemon guard that island, making it impossible for Dark Auras to attack._" He shook his head. "_Oh well, it doesn't have anything to do with me, anyway..._" Ash yawned slightly as he started to walk straight forward. "_I'm just going to enter the inn, nothing else!_" He could see through his half-closed eyes that the men had started to close in on the girl. "_Just going straight forward... But I can't help it if I do bump into someone... not my fault at all..._"

The girl in question was wearing the shrine maiden-dress that Ash had heard about. It was pure-white with red bands at the end of the arms and knees, she was also wearing a pair of plain sandals and was carrying some sort of scepter... No, it looked like an ordinary walking-stick, yet it had a thicker end and seemed to be wrapped up in a gray cloth.

Ash put his hand on the sheath of his sword, even though he didn't need to use it... But it was a good way of scaring people.

He was one meter from the group when something unexpected happened... The girl started to swing her walking-staff, her eyes flaring with anger.

"Take THAT! And THIS!" You could see her as just randomly swinging it around... But Ash, who had a very good eye when it came to weapon-mastery, could easily see that it wasn't the first time she was doing this with her staff... No, she held it more like a spear... "And how about THAT?"

Her hits were flawless, she knew exactly where she wanted to place them, and she did so with a precision that only Ash and few others could manage... The only thing she lacked was power and stamina, since she seemed to tire rather quickly.

"And suck on THIS!" What in the world would a Temple Maiden do with such moves? Wasn't the policy of Shamouti Island 'Peace'? She had already knocked out two of them and dealt the finishing blow to the last one... "Don't think you'll get away!"

"Eh?" Ash had a blank look as he saw the staff/spear being thrust towards his face. "Wait! you got it all wrong."

"Kiya!" The girl let out a shriek of surprise as she fell down to the ground, her staff missing the target since Ash dodged it at the last second. "You think you got away? That was just the beginning! Take this!"

The mercenary had a troubled look on his face as he continued to dodge them... although, he did make it seem as though he was more tripping backwards than actually dodging it, hoping that the girl would tire soon.

"DIE! You enemy of women!" Ash sighed heavily as he pretended to trip over his foot, land on his butt and hold his hands up in the air.

"I give up." He smiled at her, the hood still on his head. "You won."

"DIE!", "Wait a minute!" He had to throw himself to the side as the spear came crashing down a second later where he had once laid. "You misunderstand!"

"Why won't you be hit!'?" It was more like a demand than a question as the ill-tempered girl continued to attack him without pause.

"I said: STOP!" The mercenary had grown tired of this game and with a swift motion, appearing only a few centimeters from her and taking her into a lock that made her unable to attack.

Then, he felt it... **Aura**. His eyes widened in surprise as he strengthened his grip, making the girl wince in pain... But, this aura... It wasn't that of an Aura Guardian, nor one of a Dark Aura... or the one of a normal person... Could this be... just an Aura-User? A person who isn't either a Dark Aura or Aura Guardian yet? What should he do? Did she feel his Aura too? Was it all going to end, or-...

"Let go of ME!" It seemed that Ash had underestimated the girl's strength and mind. She put her foot behind his and pushed with all her strength, making the young man fall backwards... But it seemed as though she too had underestimated the young man's strength, as he still maintained a firm grip on her, making him drag her down with him, with her screaming the whole way down.

The people who just walked past them would shake their heads and mumble half-amused to themselves something about: "The spring of youth." or: "So it's this time of year now...?"

However, it was only the passersby that found something amusing in this situation... Ash, who felt the slight pressure of the girl and her well developed body, his arms still around her ... And the girl, who had never let any man touch her, let alone shake her hand.

There they lay... Body against body, lips against lips... Something that could just appear in stories had just happened to the two humans, and neither of them knew what to do.

Ash, however, who was trained in taking calmly care of dangerous and life-threatening situations, made the very wise choice that any person in his shoes would do:

He pushed her off himself quickly. Then he got up and started to run for all his worth into the forest, he decided to stay there for a while, at least until things calmed down.

The girl, however, sat on the ground with her eyes wide, still trying to grasp the situation... Slowly but surely, the color on her face started to disappear as her jaw opened wider.

"P-... P-..." The very innocent, yet dangerous, girl had a very hard time talking right now. "P-... P-... PERVERT!" She would get him for this... No man would think he could be able to lay his hand on her like that. Fortunately for her, his hood had blown off as he ran so she had gotten a good look at his raven-black hair... She picked up her blue bag and started her hunt...

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"This is bad... This is very bad..." Ash said to himself, once again. He couldn't help it, he was so used to having Pikachu on his shoulder that he sometimes talked to himself when he was stressed. "I have done something very bad... A normal girl would be one thing... But a girl from the Shamouti Island! Aura Guardians have given their life to make sure that they were never touched by any man with impure thoughts-... Not that I had impure thoughts or anything, I just-..."

"_Aura..._" Now he remembered how he ended up in that situation. "_She's an Aura-User... What does that mean? How can she have become so old, without being looked up by Aura Guar-... Dark Auras, rather.._" Ash thought with a sad smile as he checked so he hadn't lost anything. All his equipment seemed to be where it should.

"_How come I couldn't feel her Aura?_" That was another question Ash didn't understand. "_Have I stopped using my own for so long that I couldn't feel any...? No... Then I shouldn't be able to feel non-Aura-Users either... Her Aura wasn't that strong, even slightly below average... Yet, those moves she showed off, if she had learned them by herself, she could be a very promising Aura Guardia-... Why the Hoenn am I thinking of this!_" He could see the clearing of the forest he had ran into... He needed to keep a low profile, so it was best to walk around without the cloak for a bit. "_I've no relation to the Aura any longer... That's in the past._"

He stopped and looked up into the sky, it was in the middle of the day and the sun was blazed hot. Ash figured out that he could stop at the inn later in the evening, he decided to take a stroll down to the port instead.

"That... That... That..." The brunette stomped around the town, pacing back and forth. "That... Barbarian! Not only did he do all those things to me, he dirtied my dress!"

Melody Fleura took a deep, concentrated and angry breath as she sat down on a chair outside a restaurant. Never had she met such a rude man... who did he think he was? Pulling her down all of a sudden and-... and-...

The poor young woman shivered as she thought of the previous events that had happened. She was so angry that her face was completely red!

"_Not only did he forcefully assault me..._" She growled with clenched teeth, glaring at every passersby of the male gender. "_He hurt me! That throbbing pain I feel in my chest... That evil man!_"

Melody started to giggle evilly to herself as she thought of things she was going to do to him when she captured him... He was going to regret ever doing such a thing. After all, he was the one that tried to join the gang of drunks that were going to do unspeakable things to her.

"_But there was something strange with him..._" Melody hesitated a bit. "_As soon as he grabbed me... I felt something in... my soul? It was like something fused with it, or alerted it... No, no, no! It was probably a warning for his perverseness! That's right! He's a big pervert! An enemy of the female race!_"

She sighed, why couldn't there be any more noble Aura Guardians left? She, like the other young girls at the island, had fallen completely in love with the stories of Sir Ash Ketchum, the son of Aaron, who became an Aura Guardian at such a young age... Then he disappeared! Most likely killed by a Dark Aura. Melody felt the sorrow build up in her as she came to think of the young boy's teacher... Riley Gen. He had visited the island a few times after she was born. He would always tell the most amusing and scary stories that she had ever heard. His death had had a big impact on the whole island... although, the news that Ash Ketchum had defeated the same Dark Aura only a few months later came as a big comfort... only to be drowned by sorrow when he disappeared.

It seemed as though hope was lost for Aura Guardians now. It wasn't something that was written in a book, how you became one. It was a tradition passed down from master to pupil... And now, when every single Aura Guardian was dead... what would become of them now? Only the teachings of the Dark Auras was left, meaning that their numbers would increase rapidly.

"Oh, well." She tried to cheer herself up... no matter how hard it might be because of the events of the day and the thoughts of the former Aura Guardians. "What am I doing here, all depressed? We have a mission, right, Togepi?"

"Togepriii!" Was the sound from the small, yellow and happy egg-pokemon, who still hadn't fully come out from its egg. "Priii!"

"Right! Let's go!" Even though she had no idea where... She had found the egg when she was ten, a little more than eight years ago. The year after she'd found it, it hatched and Togepi was born... she thought she had found a new playmate... However, she hadn't heard of the prophecy.

When a pokemon of the Aura appeared, be it a Riolu, Togepi or Mienfoo, the partner to the pokemon was destined to be an Aura Guardian... She had of course been taken by surprise and refused at first, not wanting to leave the island.

But, as the years passed, she came to accept her destiny... That's why, a few months before she turned 18, she got on a boat towards Sinnoh, where a very weak rumor that the last Aura Guardian, Sir Ash Ketchum, should be. She knew that Sir Ash was their last hope, as the only Guardian left... But she still had a hard time accepting one thing: When she found him, to make sure the lines of Aura wouldn't be broken, she needed to marry him and carry his child...

It wasn't an idea that the beautiful girl was too fond of. But Melody guessed that she had to deal with it when-... IF she found him. She suspected that he was actually dead, but that didn't hinder her from keeping a small flame of hope in her heart.

She looked at her dress and took a deep sigh, that pervert had made it really dirty... Melody needed to find a lake where she could wash her clothes and take a bath herself.

The brunette started to walk towards her destination as she still kept, subconsciously, looking for a raven-haired young man with a Pikachu and Lucario by his side...

"Please, do come back again!" Ash only lifted his hand to wave his goodbye to the shop-keeper, even thought he was a nice old man.

The mercenary had filled up his supplies for his whole vacation. He had decided that, since he could feel people's stares and fingers pointing at him, it was for the best to camp in the woods tonight. It seemed that, although Ash was completely innocent, the word of the fight had gotten out onto the streets... And how did the rumor go?

It was said that a Temple Maiden had been pushed into a corner by three drunk men. Then the be-cloaked late teen with raven hair appeared to stop the event. A fight broke out and the three men were left unconscious on the ground... So who did everyone think it was that beat them all up? Not the innocent little Maiden, no... It had to be the tall, young man with the big cloak. Ash cursed his intimidating look once again... even thought it didn't seem to scare children or pokemon, only adults...

The young mercenary let out a deep and tired sigh. This vacation didn't seem to exactly go as he thought it would...

He had finally arrived at his camp... well, it was more like a rope tied between two trees, and over that hang a big water-proof sheet. He had a fire-place a short distance from the opening where his feet would be placed.

Ash was about to light a fire when he suddenly remembered:

"_Water..._" He shook his head, a slight smile on his face. "_Really... This day has been so strange that I even forget to bring a bucket of water... I don't want to cause a forest-fire, that would really be the spot over the 'i' today..._"

He took the bucket, which he had recently bought from the shop. Even thought it was made of wood and its handle was just some rope, it was good for at least a couple of nights... He'd probably take it back to the castle and show it to Pikachu, Ash was sure that he'd be able to make some kind of bed for him out of it.

"_Oh, great..._" The mercenary felt like face-palming himself at the sight in front of him. Clothes hanged on a tree... a woman's clothes. "_Today's youths... they really do not have a thread of shame in their bodies..._" Even though Ash was counted as one of 'Today's youths', he still let out a deep sigh of tiredness as he looked around.

Strange... He couldn't hear, nor see, anything... Nor feel any Auras for at least ten meters... So that meant probably that the couple that, most likely, had spent their time in the bushes had been discovered and forced to run, leaving their clothes hanging here... Oh well, finder's keepers.

Ash took the clothes down from the tree, content that he could probably make good bandages out of them, if he ripped them to shreds.

He was almost at his camp, he had decided to bring all the water he needed for today so he didn't have to go an extra tim-...

A big sweat-drop appeared on Ash's head as he looked at the bucket in his hand, which was filled with clothes... He had forgotten to bring any water with him when he saw the white material!

"Fantastic..." He muttered as he brought them out the and threw them over the line between the trees. "I might as well let them dry a bit, they are rather damp... This really isn't my day."

With an outdrawn sigh he started to walk back towards the lake, the empty bucket still in his hand.

Then suddenly, he stopped. He slowly turned and looked towards the two trees that were connected by a rope...

There was no mistake about it. Those clothes came from that violent, psychotic girl from just now... It was the Shrine Maiden dress of Shamouti Island...

"Hm..." A slightly evil grin appeared on his face. "So much for an innocent Maiden, huh...?"

He then continued to walk towards the lake, filled with hope that the crazy woman had left the city...

Melody didn't really know what she thought about the water here... It didn't contain any salt, making it rather easily to swim with your eyes open, without worrying of the aching it may cause. But it was so much harder to see through the water here and, since there wasn't any big streams, it felt rather dirty.

The brunette broke the surface as she took a big gasp of breath. She had always been a natural swimmer, some people at the island said she should've been born as a fish-pokemon instead of a human... She giggled as she saw the little egg floating about, using her shell as a boat.

"Where do you think we should go, Togepi?" The egg-pokemon just looked at her. "The rumors says that Sir Ash is still in Sinnoh... But that was a long time ago."

"Prii!" The little baby-pokemon agreed, halfheartedly, as it felt some light currents take its little body and start to push her along. "Priii!"

"Oh, don't worry. I'm here!" The young woman smiled as she quickly swam up to her partner and embraced her. "Now, don't cry. It's not dangerous anymore."

"Priii!" The tears stopped, slowly but surely, to flow from the little pokemon's eyes.

"Geez..." Melody laughed as she rubbed her cheek against Togepi's little body. "Aren't you supposed to be about seven years old? You're such a cry-baby!"

"Togeprii!" The little egg-pokemon agreed, while waiving its little arms happily.

"But it is rather strange..." The Aura-User remembered as she thought about it. "Seven years is a long time for a pokemon to not evolve... Are you feeling alright?"

"Prii...?" It seemed as the pokemon was starting to worry about itself, as tears started to build up, causing Melody rush to comfort her. "Don't worry! I'm sure there's nothing wrong."

"It's just..." She had to choose her words carefully, otherwise it might start crying again. "One year is a long time for a pokemon from the baby-stage to evolve... And, according to the prophecy, I am supposed to have the powers of the Aura, right? Why can't we communicate with each other through it?"

"Toge-toge... prii!" Melody smiled slightly. She didn't know if it was because of the Aura in her body, but she had always found it easy to understand pokemon... But she had heard of people who were able to do so too, and they didn't use Aura.

"You know, Togepi..." She had laid herself on her back and started to float about, the egg-pokemon sitting on her stomach. "I'm starting to doubt the prophecy, about me being able to use Aura... Maybe it was just a coincidence that we met?"

"Toge-togepri!" The little pokemon explained calmly, yet with a slightly excited voice. "Prii-priii!"

"You're right!" The girl nodded, a happy look on her face. "Even though I do not possess the Aura, we still need to find Sir Ash! The peace of the world hangs on him!"

"Prii!" The pokemon agreed as she started to wave her little arms again, almost losing her balance.

"Right, we should go back now." Melody agreed and started to swim towards the place where she had hung her clothes to dry. She had come so far to the edge that the water was to her knees, when she realized her clothes weren't there!

"_Didn't I hang them here...?_" The girl was slightly confused, and felt very nervous. "_Could I have taken a wron-... No, there are wet marks on the place, where they were supposed to hang..._"

Her body then tensed up as she heard somebody walking in her direction. She quickly tried to look for a place to hide before-... Too late...

Ash, with a bucket in his hand and the hood to protect him from the rays of the setting sun, stood completely still as he looked at the young woman standing in the lake, about four meters from him.

Slowly, but surely, his mouth started to open more and more, along with his eyes. He felt the bucket slip out of his hand and land with a soft 'thud' on the grass, making it sound like a war-drum in the awkward silence.

"_...what...?_" Was the only word that appeared in Ash's head as he looked at the girl, who was too shocked to cover herself. "_...what...?_"

Then, he quickly was able to put two and two together. And his brain, which was used to countless of battles and tactics, quickly analyzed their position. His face and body completely still and emotionless.

"_Alright, something is wrong here..._" Neither of the two people moved, only the egg-pokemon chirping in the background. "_I have been in this kind of situation several times before... Let's see, the best way to get out of it... The first time I tried to explain that it was all an accident, they screamed and tried to kill me; Another time I walked away, pretending like it never happened, they screamed and tried to kill me; The third time I tried to complement them, they screamed and tried to kill me..._"

Then, an unused tactic appeared in Ash's head and he felt his victory be much closer.

He looked so happy with himself when he opened his mouth and, with an extremely secure and confident voice, said: "You need some help?"

Now, there is always at least two sides of a story, and there's always at least two sides to a translation... Ash meant his words along the lines of: "_It seems like you've lost your clothes. I'm sorry to hear that, how about I aid you, miss?_"... However, the words in Melody's head were translated like this: "_So... An innocent little woman taking a bath, eh? You want me to do unspeakable thing to you, little missy...?_"

"P-... P-..." Ash felt hope arise as he heard the voice of the young woman. "'_Please, help me in this awkward situation', must be what she wants to say._" Ash thought with a relieved smiled. "P-... P-... PERVERT!"

"...Eh...?" The mercenary froze as the girl turned around and tried her best to cover herself and scream... And, no matter how good Ash was to work under pressure, he too snapped.

"N-No! You got it all wrong!" It was rather amusing to see the fearless, strong warrior waving his hands in front of him, his eyes refusing to close. "It's not like that! I didn't want to see! Or, not that it's something wrong with-... I mean, there's something wrong with your-... Oh, shi-..."

"DIE!" The mercenary did a quick about-turn and started to flee from the girl, who somehow had gotten her hands on her old battle-staff...

Now, the most logical reasoning would be to either run into the woods and hope to lose her, or run towards the city, knowing that she wouldn't dare follow... However, to demand Ash to think logically in this situation was too much to ask for... That's why he ran straight towards his camp, wanting to somehow just get to sleep and forget about this whole event.

But, as soon as Ash stopped in the middle of his camp and realized what he was doing, he could hear the girl.

Ash turned towards the sound of her heavy breathing, only to see that, during this short time, she had found her clothes and already put them on.

"Now, calm down..." Ash backed slowly away, his face still covered by the hood. "You don't have to do this... It's only a mistake."

"You-... You-..." The girl's face was beet-red, she hyperventilated and her knuckles were white as she gripped her staff. "You-... Saw me..."

"Wait! Don-... what?" Her calm words did take Ash totally aback. She wasn't going to call him 'Pervert'? "So... you realized that it was an accident."

Her hateful look towards him explained that she didn't think so.

"Right... Now, calm down... There is no reason for violence..." Ash's eyes widened as he saw her remove the gray cloth from the staff, showing a very sharp, metallic end... He had been right before when he guessed it had been a spear. "Now, put that away. I'm sure there's some way we can solve this peacefully."

"Die!" Ash pushed his right foot back, readying himself for the charging girl.

She came towards him with her eyes flaring in hate, making it good for him. Ash had gotten a taste of the girl's true strength before, knowing what she was capable of... And it wasn't enough to beat him.

He only moved slightly as she thrust the weapon towards his head, making it barely miss him as he felt the wind from it. He then grabbed it and flipped the spear, making the girl lose her grip on the spear.

"You don't have your weapon anymore." He declared with his calm voice, the battle had turned into his favor. "Surrender."

"Ha! Don't think too lightly of me." The girl smirked evilly as she somehow brought out a brown whip with a small metallic tip. "The spear is only my secondary weapon... This, however, is my main one!"

"Where did you hide that?"

"Shut up!"

With those words she drew it back and sent it towards him, making a sound that proved she broke the sound-barrier.

For a normal man, the weapon would've proven deadly... But Ash could see where it would snap, and not only did he side-step the attack, he caught the weapon mid-flight!

It was an unbelievable sight for the girl, no such thing had ever happened before! She tried to yank it back, only to be hindered by Ash's strength.

Instead, he started to wrap the whip around his arm, pulling the girl towards him and her defeat.

"_As I thought..._" Ash pondered as he pulled the girl towards him. "_She doesn't know how to use her Aura-Vision to the fullest yet... Wait, why am I thinking of those things?_"

It seemed as though the girl refused to give up, she pulled for all she was worth, hoping to at least make the man lose his balance or let go of her weapon... But it was of no use. She had been defeated, and she realized it as soon as he got a hand on her whip.

The brunette sunk down to her knees, feeling the bitter taste of defeat, sorrow started to build up in her.

"_I'm sorry... everyone..._" Tears started to pour down on her face, dripping onto the ground. "_I'm sorry, I failed you... Sir Ash..._"

"Oi... Don't cry, c'mon..." The girl looked slowly up at the man who had beaten her. "Why are you crying?"

"B-Be-... Because!" She had started to sulk. "You are going to-... to-... to do unspeakable things to me, and then kill me!"

"Yeah, that's ri-... what?" Ash sighed, the sun had disappeared behind the mountains, and he needed to start on his dinner soon. "Calm down, I am not going to kill you."

"Then... Then..." What was this girl's problem? "You are only going to do unspeakable things to me...?"

"Gah!" For the first time in a while, it was now Ash's turn to fall down anime-style, only to get up the second after. "No! You are free to go, as long as you don't disturb me!"

The girl in white shook her head, making the mercenary confused. "What now?"

"You saw me naked." Her emotionless tone sent chills down the young man's spine. "Didn't you?"

"Y-Yes..." Ash figured out that he should stop explaining the situations, since it only seemed to make things worse.

"If somebody sees a Temple Maiden of the Shamouti Island naked... He needs to die." Ash felt his hope of ending this peacefully disappear.

"Well... I don't have any plans of dying just yet." He stated in a slow and emotionless tone as his right hand found its way to the handle of his sword under his cloak.

"I thought so..." The girl nodded. "There is one more solution to this problem..." Ash prepared for combat at those words, since the girl's eyes seemed to be filled with hate. "The last solution is... marriage."

"...Eh?" Did Ash hear that right? Sure, during his journeys, he had met some girls that wanted to marry him for his confidence in arms... But to be asked so out of the blue-... Wait, she didn't ask. She didn't have any intention of marrying him. "Are you sure there's no other way? I don't want to hurt a young woman."

"The pervert is afraid of hurting woman?" The brunette seemed to think of his words. "So... You want them to hurt you? You really are scum!"

"NO! Stop misunderstanding me, dammit!" It had been a long time since Ash had lost his composure like this... what kind of girl was this? "It has all been an ACCIDENT! Alright? I didn't join those three drunks, I tried to help you! I didn't steal your clothes to see you naked, I thought they were abandoned! I didn't go to the lake to spy on you, I was fetching WATER! Stop being so self-centered for once!"

"Self-centered... Me...?" The girl seemed to forget all her desire to kill the man, she only wanted to put him in his place. "Listen now, Mr. Pervert! How DARE you, who spies on me taking a bath, call ME self-centered! I wouldn't even want to marry you if you were the man I was looking for!"

"That's good, then!", "_What's wrong with me?_" Ash had never felt himself so irritated before; this girl had to be from outer space... "There's no way in Hoenn that I'll ever marry you!"

"So now there's something wrong with ME?" Did she always misunderstand him? "Let me tell you something, I don't know who you think you are... But there's no way you'll be able to beat me a second time, I'm a user of the Aura!"

"Ha! How about using it then-..." The two people stopped arguing immediately when they heard each other...

"_So she is an Aura-User after all..._" Ash felt his irritation disappear right away as he looked at her, it seemed her hair was almost dry now. "_But why hasn't she chosen her path yet?_"

"_He didn't become frightened or surprised when I told him that... He knows about Aura...!_" Melody looked at him with wide eyes. "_Then he might not be an ordinary pervert...?_"

"Hey..." The girl's head snapped up. "How about we solve this in a calmer way, alright?"

"R-Right..." The girl felt a tinge of red appear on her face, probably because she thought about the way she acted. "We'll solve this the peaceful way."

They sat down at the, now lit, fireplace... Not too close thought, they still didn't fully trust each other. It was quiet the first minute, but Ash decided to break the silence.

"You're an Aura-User, huh?" The girl nodded. "And from the Shamouti Island too?"

"You know about it?" The girl asked quickly. "My name is Melody, and I'm the younger sister to the Over-Priestess, Carol."

"I travel around a lot in my profession." The man admitted. "I know stories of that island... and what it does. But, I need to ask, why are you people continuing? There's no Aura Guardians left in this world, right?"

"You don't know that!" Ash raised his eyebrow at the girl's strong outburst. "There's always hope! We don't believe that Sir Ash Ketchum is dead!"

"'Sir Ash Ketchum'...?" Only the sound of that name made all willpower in Ash disappear. "You really do believe he's alive?"

"You really believe he's dead?" Melody shot back, glaring at him.

"I-..." The man sighed and got up. "No, I don't."

"See!" The girl seemed rather happy now. "After all, he is the man that I'm going to marry!"

"...eh?"

"Well, you didn't think I would marry you, did you?" The girl crossed her arms and turned away. "Since I'm one of the few Aura-Users that isn't a Dark Aura, I need to keep the Aura-linage powerful."

"Such a pain..." The young man muttered at the girl's words, they still believed the Aura Guardian was a hero? "Look, it's almost nightfall... It's time for you to head back-... Hey! What are you doing?'!"

"What? I'm hungry." Melody explained as she continued to eat of the man's dinner. "You wouldn't want a girl to starve, would you?"

"At least pay... or ask for permission..." Ash muttered as he sat down next to her, as he too started to eat.

The girl with brown hair jumped a bit, then quickly moved away to the opposite side.

"What?" Ash frowned as the girl glared at him. "I'm not going to kill you, you know?"

"I know." The brunette stated. "You were going to do unspeakable things to me, again!"

"'Again'...?" Then the memory returned to Ash. "Ah, you mean the kiss?"

"Eeek!" How innocent was that girl, really? "So you DID do it with purpose!"

"No, it was an accident." Ash sighed at the girl's blushing face. "Don't worry. I swear by my sword that I won't do anything to you."

"Just... stay away..." The girl's face was still completely red, but she continued to eat Ash's dinner... "You said you traveled around a lot in your profession, right? What do you do, except assaulting innocent girls?"

"'Innocent'...?" The man shook his head. "I am a mercenary-... Hey! Don't give me that look!"

"And your name?" The girl huffed, clearly despising him for his work.

"Ash, only Ash." The young man explained with a relaxed tone, begging to whatever legendary possible that she wouldn't put two and two together. "I've been called: 'Ash, the mercenary', by many... Heard of me?"

"Yeah..." The girl hesitated a little; the rumors about him had gotten all the way to the island she came from. "But aren't you supposed to be three meters tall, have a black beard and smell like a Tauros-sty?"

"So that's what my reputation is..." A very depressed Ash sank down in his sitting-position, causing the girl to giggle slightly. "Enough about me... How did you learn to fight like that?"

"What? You mean my spear and whip?" It seemed as though Melody was surprised that Ash asked her about it, that he found it interesting that a girl could fight. "Ever since I met Togepi, I had to train in combat... That's why they didn't think I was good enough to defend myself for around seven years... So I had to wait to leave the island before I could look for Sir Ash, the Aura Guardian."

"You trained in combat, just to marry the Guardian?" Ash asked with a tilted head and confused look.

"No!" The girl shook her head violently; a slight blush had appeared on her face once again. "I want him to teach me about the Aura, so I can become an Aura Guardian!"

"Shouldn't you have a pokemon, then?" Ash, who didn't like the idea of ever teaching someone in the ways of the Aura, asked with a monotone voice.

"Oh, but I do!" Melody smiled and took forth a blue, small bag and opened it, showing the egg-pokemon. "This is Togepi!"

"_I see... That explains it._" Ash thought with a grim look. But he nodded shortly towards the pokemon, greeting it. "Nice to see you, Togepi... although, I do not understand how you can take being with such a girl for seven years."

"Trii!" The pokemon only answered, before Melody was able to throw back an insult. "Teprii!"

"Aha, so her cooking is so good, eh?" Ash chuckled slightly, pokemon always brought out the good side in him. "That's a small comfort then... what?"

"How-... How-..." The girl was stunned as she looked at the young man in front of her. "How did you know that I had owned Togepi for seven years... and how do you understand her?'!"

If it hadn't been for Ash's hood, the 'Oh, shit'-look would be visible for her to see... But instead he said, and prayed it would work: "I have always had an easy time understanding pokemon... It's also common sense to know that an Aura-User gets his, or her, pokemon at the age of ten."

"I... I see..." Melody was hesitant, but seemed to accept his explanation for now. "Although, I am starting to doubt that I am an Aura-User..." Ash looked at her with a strange look. "I haven't even been able to use the 'Aura-Vision', that should be pretty basic stuff, you know."

"I see..." Ash muttered to himself, then he found himself saying: "Have you ever tried just closing your eyes and taking in the Aura around you?"

"Yeah, like a mercenary would know anything..." Melody waved him off nonchalantly as she started to stare into the fire. "I really wish I could become an Aura Guardian soon... It would be so awesome!"

"Whatever you say..." Ash muttered as he got up. "I suggest you go find somewhere else... It seems like it's going to storm rather hard." He had already been prepared for it, since the big sheet was pressed into to the ground by big stones on the sides. "You'll catch a cold if you sleep outside tonight."

"I don't have a place to go to!" The girl protested. "And it's too dark to set up a camp!"

"Well, that's something you should've thought of, isn't it?" Ash ignored her desperate tone and crawled into his improvised tent. "Just don't make too much noise, alright?"

"You... You- Atchoo!" It was a good thing that she sneezed, otherwise the argument would've probably started again. "Stupid Ash... I'll show him."

Ash could hear the girl try to lie in front of the fire, as close as possible without burning herself... But it became rather hard, since the wind made the smoke change direction, making her cough rather roughly... and for the fire to be put out as the rain started.

"Are you really gonna sleep in the rain?" He heard her make a 'hmph'-sound at him, then she started to shiver.

Ash took a deep sigh, closed his eyes and told her, in a calm tone. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep inside here?"

"C-Can I!" Her surprised voice really showed just how cold she was. "B-But... you're there!"

"So? Didn't I promise not to try anything...?" The mercenary sighed as he looked at the roof. "Don't complain so much, just come in."

Then, a second later, he could hear thunder in the sky... followed up by a scream from the girl as she threw herself into the tent and clung onto the mercenary, much to his embarrassment.

"Euhm..." Ash cleared his throat. "Excuse me, but... Don't you hate me?" He tried to move away a bit, only to be stopped by the girl clinging towards him even more.

"Don't leave!" Even the egg-pokemon had its grip on Ash. "Don't leave me alone... Please..."

"Don't worry, I won't." Ash recognized the feeling of home-sickness, it had been a long time since he had felt it and he envied the girl that she had something to call 'A home'. "You're safe here... Nothing bad will happen." He put a hand on her head and stroked her hair comfortingly.

And then, one by one, they started to drift to sleep. The soothing sound of rain lulling them to the land of dreams...

* * *

Melody yawned; she hadn't slept so well in days, not since she left the island anyway... She had to remember the name of the inn so she could come there often. Their beds were a little hard, yet very comfortable-... Wait a minute.

She slowly opened her eyes, only to see herself lying on top of the mercenary, who somehow, had been able to keep his hood on. She could see some of his raven-black hair sticking out, but nothing more, as it was concealed by the shadows.

"That's strange..." Melody stiffened when she heard her 'bed' talk. "I was certain that you'd move away as soon as you woke up..."

A second later, she was out of the tent.

Ash only chuckled lightly as he saw that she had taken the egg-pokemon with her. He yawned slightly, happy that he had been able to get at least some sleep as he didn't sleep much anymore. The mercenary got out from the tent and enjoyed the morning-sun; he stretched his arms and looked around.

It seemed as though it had rained the whole night... So they were lucky that the water hadn't entered the tent where they slept. The remaining firewood was completely useless right now, luckily he would be leaving today.

"Slept well?" Ash didn't know why, but he felt somehow slightly satisfied with teasing the brunette from time to time.

"S-Shut up!" She was still in her white Temple-Dress and sandals, clinging to the egg-pokemon as she looked at him hesitantly and shyly. "Thanks..."

"Huh? For what?" Ash brought down the sheet and tried to fold it up, but the he decided to leave it instead. It would be too much of a pain to carry such a big wet sheet along with him.

"For... not leaving me..." Ash sent her a small smile; she didn't seem so bad when she looked so shy and embarrassed. "But-... But don't think anything of it!"

"Right, right." Ash yawned as he started to walk towards the lake. "Well, see you."

"Wait, what?" Melody was confused, what did he mean by those words? "What are you saying?"

"Well, this was my vacation... if you could ever call it that." Seeing that it didn't make any sense to the girl, he took a deep sigh and decided to explain a little better. "My current mission is to be the bodyguard of a Sinnoh royalty, but I needed to take a few days break from it. Now that this break is over, I'm going back."

"I-... I see..." Ash didn't know why, but he felt that the girl was disappointed that he was leaving.

"Hey..." The girl looked up quickly. "You want to travel there together?"

"Who-..." Her face lit up again, as she grabbed her spear, whip and Togepi, and started to run towards the city. "Who would ever want to travel with you, stupid!'?"

"Well..." Ash sweat-dropped. "At least I'm not a pervert anymore..."

He then remembered that he needed food for the trip back.

* * *

"Stupid Ash... Who does he think he is...!" Melody muttered angrily about the man she had recently met. "He thinks he knows it all, thinks that he's so good... He's just a stupid mercenary!"

"Toge-prii?" The egg-pokemon asked with a tilted... body... making the girl freeze and look at the pokemon with deadly eyes.

"I do NOT like that guy!" Her face flared red once again. "I mean, he's a mercenary! He kills for money!"

"Toge-pi-pi?" The Togepi asked innocently, while laughing evilly inside.

"I... I only hugged him yesterday night because I was afraid of the lightning and thunder!" The beautiful, well developed brunette defended herself, at the same time trying to convince herself of that. "That's right! I was afraid of the lightning and needed someone to comfort me! Nothing else!"

"Besides..." She continued in a low tone, she was close to the place that they had met for the first time. "The only man I need is Sir Ash, the Aura Guardian."

"Prii..." The Togepi sighed and tried to shake its head, making its whole body turn.

"There she is!" The girl quickly turned around, facing several armed men, all looking proficient in their weapon of choice. "She's the one that attacked the mayor of the city!"

"The... mayor...?" Melody's face became pale as she thought of the three men yesterday. That had been the mayor? "I-... He assaulted me first!"

"That may be the case, miss." A man around of about thirty, with cheap armor and sharp sword, said. It seemed that he kind of sympathized with her. "However, the mayor is the leader of this town. His orders are absolute and we, the Pastoria Militia, need to obey his laws."

"Then, come at me!" Melody declared with a brave look, showing them her spear and whip. "Do your best!"

"Men..." The captain of the troops seemed kind of unenthusiastic. "Charge!"

Around thirty soldiers started to close in on the girl and she knew she was at a disadvantage... especially since she didn't want to kill them. They weren't bad men, they were only following the orders of a bad person.

"Rhaa!" She quickly jumped to the side, making the charging man miss her, then she hit him with the blunt end of her spear, making him collapse onto the ground.

"Idiots! Don't attack her one on one!" The captain ordered them. "She isn't as weak as she looks!"

"'As she looks'...?" The flare in her eyes appeared as she quickly took out two men more. "You perverts! Stupid! Enemies of women!"

"She's crazy!" The person who said that was the next to hit the ground, face first.

"Leave her to us." Melody stopped her movements when she saw her new opponents. They were large men, and the way they wielded their weapons would make the previous militia look like amateurs.

But she still didn't back down, she had do defend Togepi!

They were four men that looked dangerously strong, the remaining twenty didn't seem to be all that. But she was beginning to feel rather tired even now, it's much easier to kill with a spear than it is to just immobilize.

She let out a war-cry as she charged the four men, clearly taking them by surprise. She used the other end of her spear again and smashed it in a certain place of one of the men, that should well be taboo to do.

"D-Damn... you..." The man with a brown beard whimpered as he got down on his knees, clasping his crotch, only to feel the wooden-stick make contact with his head.

"A nice trick, missy." Melody felt herself grow angry again as she charged them... Only to be blocked and knocked back. "She's a wild one... I don't think we can take her with us as long as she's still standing."

"Ha! You got that right." Melody mocked them slightly, without any effect, as she took a new grip on her weapon.

The people who walked past continued on their way without stopping to help; they didn't want to have any business with the mayor's troops, even though they were only doing their job.

"I'll finish this!" Melody exclaimed as she charged them, confident in finishing them off with one move.

"This is the end for you!" The tallest of the men threw his fist against her, too soon to hurt her... But then, to her surprise, he opened it as Melody could only watch the sand and dust fly straight into her eyes.

"Ah!" She gasped as she quickly backed away, refusing to let go of her whip as she lost her spear. "_I can't see... I can't see!_"

She could hear the soldiers laugh and step towards her. She started to swing her whip around randomly, hoping to hit them. She did hit one time, as a man screamed out. But the other times were just misses and she felt her stamina run out... Will this be her end?

"_Dammit!_" She didn't know if the tears in her eyes were of frustration or the dirt. "_If only I could use Aura-Vision...!_"

"_Have you ever tried just closing your eyes and taking in the Aura around you?"_

Melody felt her heart stop... why did she think of him and his words? What did he know?

But, subconsciously, she did the exact things he had told her... She had a strange feeling, so many objects came into her vision, yet it was dark... Then, slowly but surely, she could see some hints of blue... Was this Aura-Vision? No... And yes. It wasn't used to its full extent, since so many things were blurry... But she could make out the men and their weak aura, how their hands moved... She felt her heart beat faster and faster... She could win!

The men only looked strangely at the confident girl with closed eyes... until her whip suddenly lashed out and hit one of the men in the face, making him cry out and get down on his knees, unable to continue.

"She has to be using her hearing..." The captain muttered, as he saw another one of his men go down, this time one of the remaining three strong ones. "Take her out, Martin."

"Right, sir." A man with short blond hair nodded and picked up a rock, then threw it towards the girl.

Melody, who was only able to see the aura of living things, such as pokemon and humans, had no idea what the pain, that she felt on her leg, was as she felt it give in. She cried out slightly as she was down on the ground, unable to move.

"_Why...?_" Melody whimpered, things didn't go her way at all this week. "_As soon as I learned Aura-Vision... Why...?_"

"_Ash..._" That was the other thing that appeared in her mind. "_I don't care which one... just... help me!_"

"Such a pain..." Melody's heart grew warm as she heard the voice of the mercenary, he'd come to save her! "Is it really that hard to take down a single girl? I mean, she's weird and psychotic and all... But, still."

"Ash..." The brunette could feel the mercenary looking at her from behind. "Help..."

"Who the hell are you?" One of the soldiers questioned... what was she thinking? How could he defeat so many men?

"Me? Who knows." Melody shivered at the tone of his voice, it was so cold. "Actually, even I don't know who I truly am... But, for the moment, you may call me: Ash, the Mercenary."

"A-Ash, the M-Mercenary..?" Melody could see the men back away, their aura shimmering weaker with Ash standing still behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't you see it, men?" The captain, whose part was to keep the company together no matter the cause, said. "Ash the Mercenary is the bodyguard of the princess, there's no way that he'd be here!"

Melody wanted to scream: 'Look out!' to Ash... But she felt blinded somehow, as he stepped in front of her. Her vision was filled with a bright, blue light.

She could only hear screams from the soldiers and the clashing of arms... Then, after about half a minute, it was over...

Melody's vision had also gotten used to the light by now, and she couldn't believe her aura...

In front of her closed eyes. She could see every millimeter of the man named Ash with her aura as he stood there with a giant sword in his hand... But it wasn't because her Aura-Vision was perfected, since the other people around her was as blurry as always. No, it was because he was surrounded by such a powerful blue light. The light grew and enveloped her, she felt her whole body heat up... What was this...?

"_Ash..._" Melody didn't know what to think. Who was he? What was he? Then, suddenly, a flashback occurred right before her eyes.

"_Sir Riley!" A twelve year old girl with pigtails came running towards the man in blue with the egg-pokemon clinging to her chest. "You're back!" _

"_Ah, Melody." The man with raven-black hair laughed, as he got down on his knees and tousled her hair. "Have you been a good girl at the temple?"_

"_Mhm!" The little brunette nodded happily. "Is Ash an Aura Guardian yet?"_

"_Why so eager? Aren't you wondering how I am doing?" Asked Riley and pretended to sound hurt. _

"_Nope!" The old Aura Guardian fell down anime-style. "I can see you, can't I?"_

"_Such a troublesome child..." The master of Aura muttered as he scratched his be-hatted head. "Yeah, __Ash is doing well... Too well, I'd say. There's nothing more to teach him in a couple of years if things continue like this."_

"_Can I come with you, to train too?" The little girl asked eagerly, with a small blush. "I wanna meet Ash, Pikachu and Riolu!" _

"_I'm sorry, Melody." Riley Gen smiled sadly as he patted the girl's head. "Your sister would never allow me to bring you... Besides, it's hard enough to train one of you in the ways of the aura."_

"_But-..." Melody was interrupted by Riley, as he seemed to know what she wanted to say._

"_Don't worry, kid." He got up from his kneeling-position and stretched himself. "As soon as I'm done with Ash, I'll come and teach you... Or maybe he will, personally."_

"_Really?'!" Melody was really excited at the thought of the Aura-Apprentice teaching her. "Will you tell him to? Please?'!" _

"_Calm down, calm down." Riley laughed as he prepared himself to get going. "I'll tell him some time after he becomes a Guardian. He shouldn't have too much on his mind right now."_

"_But... How will I recognize him?" The brunette asked hesitantly."I haven't seen him before!"_

"_You have seen a painting of Sir Aaron, right?" Riley smiled as he lifted the girl up, carrying her towards the temple on his shoulders._

"_Mhm!" The girl nodded happily as she saw her older sister come running towards them._

"_I'm certain that he'll look exactly like him when he grows up... except for the eyes. He has inherited his mother's auburn eyes, but they will shine blue when he reaches his full potential." It seemed as though the little girl wasn't satisfied with that answer alone, so he continued. "And, even if he doesn't look like him, you could always recognize him by his ridiculously big sword and... His aura."_

"_His aura?" This caught the young girl's interests._

"_Yeah, his aura." Melody's older sister was only a couple of meters away from them now. "When you use your Aura-Vision, you'll be blinded for the moment by his Aura... It's one of the most powerful I've seen, maybe even stronger than Sir Aaron's."_

"_Then," He smiled as he put her down on the ground in front of the temple. "You will know that you've found your man!"_

"Hey, are you alright?" Melody returned to the present as she slowly opened her eyes, the bright blue light disappearing at the same time. Her heart almost stopped at the sight she was seeing.

A man with mid length, black pointy hair and a hard face looked down at her, the face still had some slightly feminine-lines, but it had been hardened by many battles... It was an exact copy of Sir Aaron's, apart from the auburn eyes...

"We need to get out of here, now." She could feel the person pick her up, along with her pokemon, as the said person started to run out of town, towards the forest that lead to Hearthome City.

* * *

"Hello? C'mon, you aren't that badly hurt, you know?" Slowly, but surely, Melody began to grasp the situation.

The girl looked slowly around at her surroundings they were at a crossroad, and a bridge over a stream just a few meters away. She then turned her attention back towards the young man.

"A-... Ash..." The mercenary leaned in closer, trying to hear what the weak voice wanted to say. "ASH!"

"Gah!" The raven-haired young man got a flashback from another time a brunette threw herself over him, making him fall to the ground. "What's gotten into you?"

"You're Ash!" The brunette just continued to nuzzle her face into his chest. Finally... finally, she had found him.

"I know I am Ash, didn't I tell you before...?" Really? What's with this girl. He let out a big sigh. "I don't know where you're headed, but if you want to part ways n-"

"No way!" This took the mercenary by surprise as the beautiful girl looked at young man she was sitting on. "Now that I've finally found you, I'll never part with you!"

"What are you talkin-..." He suddenly remembered the true reason as to why she was here. "Oh, shi-..."

The brunette just sent him a beaming smile as she continued to nuzzle her head into his chest.

**End of chapter 15**

* * *

**As you see, the correct answer would be "Melody"! I've always liked her character, it's a shame they didn't show more of her... What will happen to Ash now? Will he be able to keep his past hidden any longer from the society? **

**DON'T FORGET TO VOTE ON THE POLL! After all, it's kind of a matter between life and death. The results right now are... Interesting, I was actually surprised...**

* * *

**Right, I almost forgot... A question for the next chapter... Hm... How about this:  
In the next chapter, there'll be a Wedding Meeting for Dawn! But who is the prince? Also, which region?  
(_Hint: Think logical about this... I've mentioned, more or less, every prince in the story before__... and it's NOT one she's met before...)  
_**

**_Anothe_r thing, would you want me to give you a preview into the next chapter? I've seen other authors do it... but would you like me to do the same?**

* * *

**It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

**R&R!_  
_**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi there! **

**In the previous chapter, Ash went on a not so successful vacation. There he met a young girl named Melody, who's supposed to be trained by Ash the Aura Guardian and then marry him! Of course, the mercenary have no plans whatsoever to train the young girl, even less marry her!  
So, now Ash is returning to the castle... But who knows what unexpected things that will happen there! Only this chapter will tell...**

**It seems as I messed up a bit in the previous question... Since I haven't watch the latest season or played the latest games, I tend to forget about Unova... But, for those who guessed Hoenn... You're right! :D As for the prince... You'll see!**

**I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!**

* * *

"Hey..." The brunette girl looked at the raven haired young man with the big cloak. "How long do you intend to follow me, actually?"

"What kind of tone is that?" Melody sounded hurt in a playful way as she jumped onto his back and threw her arms around his neck. "You shouldn't talk to your future wife like that!"

"Why me...? Why always me...?" The mercenary sulked silently to himself as he continued to walk towards his destination, the girl still clinging to his back. "What do I need to do for you to leave me alone, or at least stay two meters from me?"

"Apart from getting married to me?" The beautiful brunette ignored Ash's shiver and hesitant nod. "Well... You could teach me about the Aura!"

Then, suddenly, the young man stopped, making the girl confused.

They were about five kilometers from Hearthome City, the capital of Sinnoh, they had recently passed a small village and were now walking beside a fresh stream that flowed at the side of the road. The trees were green and bird-pokemon chirped happily from them, looking for bug-pokemon to eat.

"Forget it." The Temple Maiden was so taken aback by his answer that she released him from her grip, making her fall onto the ground. "Don't bring it up again."

"Now, see here." Melody felt rather annoyed as she got up, dusted herself off and put her hands on her hips, looking slightly angry at him. "You are the last Aura Guardian alive and you-"

"Was." She tilted her head slightly at his answer, he still hadn't turned around to look at her.

"Excuse me?" Melody didn't know if she had heard right or not. "What did you say?"

"I was the last Aura Guardian." Ash felt that the girl behind him didn't fully understand the situation, so he took a deep breath and explained. "I have put the Aura behind me years ago, all my privileges and titles as an Aura Guardian disappeared the moment I denied my Aura."

"W-What... What are you... talking about... Sir Ash...?" Melody fell down onto her knees, the young man finally turned around and looked down on her, a grim look on his face. "You... you can't do that... What about everyone... Everyone sees you as a hero!"

"Why?" The girl's eyes widened at the cold response from him. "Why do they see me as a hero? Because I defeated one lousy Dark Aura? Because I was born with an abnormally strong Aura? Because I managed to get the title 'Aura Guardian' at a very young age?"

Ash shook his head as he continued to look down at the choked girl. "What you have been looking up to and searching for is nothing more than a fairy tale... I have never protected someone in 'The name of the Aura'... I've never killed a Dark Aura in 'The name of the Aura'... Why did I kill him? It was simply for revenge, cold blooded revenge that didn't have anything to do with the Aura whatsoever."

He chuckled darkly at Melody, who started to become much paler. "And you still call me a hero? A symbol for others to follow? Don't give me that crap!" The young girl flinched, feeling rather scared now... She could feel his Aura, unintentionally, wash over her in his anger. "Why? Why do you want me to teach you!'?"

"Because... Because..." Melody got up, a brave look on her face; this was only a test, nothing else. She would get through to him, whatever price she had to pay. "Because the peace of the world depends on you! You are the last one that knows the path of the Aura Guardian! We-... I need your help! If you're not teaching us, the Dark Auras will overrun us and destroy everything!"

"So? Let them do that then." The maiden's eyes widened, who was he to say those things? "It's not like they chose to be born with the Aura, can you really blame them?"

"What are you talking about!'?" Melody felt anger overcome her as she walked towards him and slapped him across the cheek... Ash could've dodged the blow easily, of course, but he only stood there and turned his head back slowly. "They are killing people for the sake of their own selfish reason! They enjoy killing! And you-... You-... You SYMPATHIZE WITH THEM! WHAT MAKES YOU SO DIFFERENT FROM THEM THEN!"

Ash stopped breathing for a second as he backed away, taken aback by shock. What was he doing? He was defending those who took the life of the people he thought of as a family a long time ago, it was because of them that he had become who he is today... Was he really like them? No, of course not! But... why did he hesitate then?

"I..." The mercenary hesitated a bit, when the girl looked at him rather angrily. "I... apologize."

"Hmph!" Melody just turned her back towards him, her arms crossed over her chest. "Who would've known that Sir Ash Aaron Ketchum was such a weakling? Getting scolded by a young, beautiful and innocent girl?"

"Such a pain..." Ash muttered with his hand over his face, clearly regretting his previous words. "I am sorry, alright? I went too far."

"Hmph!" Was the only sound he received from the girl, who still had her back turned at him.

Ash only took a deep breath and started to continue to walk towards the castle, only to be surprised to see that the girl was walking right next to him. Her arms were still crossed over her chest and she had her head stubbornly turned away from him.

"Hey..." Ash felt a giant sweat-drop at the back of his head. "You're still going to follow me?"

"Don't get me wrong." Melody's tone sounded really nonchalant and grumpy. "I'm only going this way too, anyway."

The mercenary let out a deep sigh as he looked up to the sky, thought very hard for a few seconds, then admitted defeat.

"The reason why your Aura powers are so slow at developing..." Melody seemed to forget all of her anger in a flash as she, and the pokemon in her hands, looked eagerly at the young man. "Is because of Togepi here."

"Togepi...?" The young brunette looked confused at the egg-pokemon, who chirped happily. "What do you mean?"

"When you are an Aura User..." Ash hesitated, thinking if he should continue or not, but then he bowed down to defeat. "You develop at the same pace as your pokemon. If the pokemon only has two evolutions, your own development will be more independent... But since your have three, you need to evolve her to get to the first stage."

"But I have tried to evolve her!" Melody stated quickly, not wanting to loose this chance. "Battles, food, stones, nothing works! It seems like Togepi doesn't want to evolve... are you sure I even am an Aura User?"

"There's no hesitation about that." Ash nodded knowingly, it seemed as he was getting more and more into his role. "You Aura is slightly below the one of a normal Aura Guardian, but since Togepi found you and you can use Aura-Vision, there's no question about it."

"Then, why?"

"Togepi is actually the worst, possible partner to begin with." Ash halted himself as he saw the girl pout and the pokemon was about to cry. "Don't get me wrong! She will be very powerful later! What I meant was that the pokemon doesn't evolve through time... She will need a certain amount of happiness to evolve."

"Happiness...?" Melody seemed to know what he was getting at now. "Isn't she already happy? I mean, she plays all the time and eats what she wants and things!"

"Not that simple..." Ash shook his head, they had arrived at a little bridge of wood now. "If your pokemon had been any other kind of pokemon that evolved through happiness, I'm sure she would've done so already... But she needs a special sort of happiness."

"Special sort?" Melody was like a big question-mark. What in the world was he talking about? "I know that people say there's many kinds of happiness... But what do you mean?"

"Your Aura." It seemed as Ash didn't want to continue to talk anymore, but the former Aura Guardian in him defeated the mercenary once again. "You need to develop your Aura together with Togepi... It shouldn't be so hard for her to evolve to her second stage then, and you would be able to unlock even more powerful Aura shapes and attacks."

"Then, can you teach me, please?'!" The girl had even started to cling to his arm, looking at him with begging eyes. "Come on!"

"Forget it, I won't go that far." The Aura Guardian in him was now defeated by the mercenary and Ash's stubbornness cooping together. "Your training should be watched by an Aura Guardian, and I am not one anymore."

It was silent for a while, neither of the two humans wanted to say anything as they approached the city more and more.

"Hey..." Ash glanced at the girl, who looked rather hesitant. "Why did you give up your Aura, exactly? Was it that hard to be an Aura Guardian?"

"It was..." The mercenary took a deep breath. He could tell her already, maybe that would teach her to rethink her choice. "Disappointment."

"Disappointment?" Melody looked at him with a tilted head and confused look. "What do you mean? How can you be disappointed in becoming an Aura Guardian?"

"You've heard the stories about them, right?" The girl nodded as the boy looked up into the sky and continued. "The stories about how Aura Guardians are unbeatable, righteous, helpful, almost like a saint... They never do anything wrong and seeing one is supposed to be the same thing as being blessed by a legendary."

Ash scratched his neck, feeling rather troubled. "It wasn't like that... at least not from the Aura Guardian's point of view." He let out a great sigh. "As soon as you walk somewhere, people looked at you and whispered, they expected you to do anything for them, even give them money since they didn't want to work... And all the children that said how they wanted to be an Aura Guardian just like me... How do you tell them that it's an impossible dream? That they won't ever become one? How would you feel if someone asked you how Aura Guardians were unbeatable, when Sir Riley Gen had recently been killed? How do you explain such things?"

The mercenary took a deep breath once again as he glanced at the girl, who seemed to be in deep thought.

"You still think that to be an Aura Guardian is like being a royalty?" Ash smirked darkly, hoping that she would stop pestering him about it. "You won't be treated like a king, more like a slave."

"I know that." Ash's eyes widened at those words. "Everyone at the island knows that... Why did you think we look up to you that much? Aura Guardians protects even those who treats them badly and with no gratitude expressed whatsoever, they request nothing in payment... That's exactly what a hero is like!"

"You..." The mercenary stopped in his tracks as he was trying to grasp the situation. "You knew all that... and still you want to be an Aura Guardian?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Melody seemed to have grown several stages in Ash's eyes at that moment. "To cower from things like that is the same thing as cowering in fear of life!"

"Really..." Ash let out an amused snort. "If everyone thinks like you, the future will look good for the Aura Guardians."

"So you want to train me!" Melody's face overcame with a bright light of happiness as she circled him and blocked his path. "You will teach me the ways of the Aura!"

"Sure, why no-...", "_What am I doing? I swore all those years ago that I should stop all my involvement with Aura!_" Ash closed his eyes as he clenched his fists, only to relax them once again. "No, I won't. I suggest you go back to the island and look through some books on Aura..."

"Oh, you think...?" Ash staggered back slightly by the evil giggle that emitted from Melody. "Don't try and pretend like you don't think I heard your previous words..."

"I-... I have no idea what you're talking about!" Ash declared with a mature voice as he diverted his eyes from her and felt his face heat up slightly. "I said already that I won't teach you, and nothing will-... why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh, you will teach me the ways of the Aura..." Was Melody's Aura really this strong? She started to slowly walk towards him. "And then, when I am finally an Aura Guardian... We will get married!"

"Gah!" Was the sound Ash made as she once again threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him for all her worth. "I refuse!"

"Then I'll make you teach me!" The girl declared as she wrapped her legs around his body, locking herself to him. "And don't worry! Since you're so sensitive, I won't tell anyone about your past."

"Such a pain..." The mercenary groaned as he started to walk slowly towards the castle, with a well-developed girl as an extra package...

* * *

"He's late!" The squint-eyed advisor looked with a tilted head at the princess of Sinnoh who was walking back and forth in the great hall. "They said two days, right? It's already been two days now!"

"Pika..." The rodent, who had the job of guarding the princess, agreed with a nod. It seemed that during these two days the two of them had gotten even closer. "Pikachu-pika!"

"I... Don't understand..." The princess sweat-dropped, she could understand pokemon sometimes, but only if she had been with them for a few years and they made it very clear to what they wanted to say. "But I think you want him to come back too!"

"Now, princess." Brock smiled calmly, even though he also wanted the mercenary back, to make him pay for his chessboard of course. "I'm sure he'll be back soon... Unless he met a girl while he was away? Oh, I can imagine a beauty clinging to him as they walk back here and-... Uh, Lady Dawn...? Calm down... I was only joking!"

"What? Oh, of course you were!" The girl, who had looked extremely dangerous a few seconds ago, laughed a fake laugh as she continued to gaze desperately towards the city from one of the many windows in the hall "There's no way in Johto that Ash will meet a girl that wants to marry him... Right, Pikachu?"

"Pi-... Pikachu-pi!" The rodent shook his head, a little too energetically so it was suspicious, as it tried to shake off the picture of the princess of Kanto clinging onto the mercenary. "Pikachu!"

The blunette didn't really know what to say, since she suspected that yet another event had happened in Ash's life that she wasn't aware of, but she only took a deep breath and continued to look out of the window, eagerly waiting for the return of her hero.

"Lady Dawn! Lady Dawn! Sir Pikachu!" The trio turned their heads towards the running chambermaid, who was running from exertion. "He's back! The guards have seen him enter from the north gate!"

"North?" Brock was confused, why in the world would the mercenary do that? "I thought his intended destination was to the south... why would Sir Ash circle around the walls?"

"Who cares, Brock?" Dawn waved him off as she and the rodent started to run towards the castle door which led to the north. "Let's go meet him!", "Pika-pi!"

"You think he got us something while he was away, Pikachu?" Dawn asked eagerly as they ran, much to the advisor's annoyance, towards the doors. "I mean, he can't have gotten to a new town without picking something up as a souvenir, right?"

"Pikachu, pi." The rodent shook his head, doubting if Ash even knew what the word 'souvenir' meant... "Pikachu-pika."

"Really? That's a shame..." Dawn understood the rodent by the shaking of its head. "Oh well, it doesn't matter... as long as he's back home!"

"Pika!"

They had finally arrived at the gate, wondering why Ash hadn't come in. So Dawn decided to go and ask a guard of the reason, since Ash was also a knight of Sinnoh and shouldn't have any problems with entering the royal castle.

"Excuse me, what's wrong?" The guard, who seemed to be in his mid-thirties, turned around lazily, only to seem full of spirit as he noticed the princess of Sinnoh talking to him. "Why hasn't Sir Ash been let in through the gates?"

"Princess Berlitz!" The guard saluted with his back straight. "There's no problem whatsoever with letting Sir Ash into the castle!"

"Then what's going on?" Dawn looked at the guard with a tilted head, especially since he was starting to sweat; Pikachu had a bad feeling about this.

"It's really... Something that can't be explained with words..." He cleared his throat and made a motion with his hand towards the gate as Leona and Brock had just caught up with them.

"Princess! I highly advise you to not run in the halls!" Brock panted as he held his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "Where's Sir Ash?"

"It seems as though there's a problem at the gate..." Dawn said more to herself than Brock as she slowly walked towards it, Pikachu had already ran there and peeked outside.

"Pikachu?" The princess got a surprised look on her face as the rodent face-palmed in a way that said: 'Not again!' "What's the matter?"

"You seem to be acting strange." The princess stepped through the gate. "Is something wron-..."

"Euhm... Hi...?" Was the very nervous voice that was heard from the mercenary on the other side of the inner walls.

"H-... H-..." It seemed as though Dawn wanted to answer him, but it was rather hard to do so at the sight of him.

Ash felt, for just a second, a small urge to say: 'I just found her... can I keep her?' But even Ash knew what kind of possible dangers it might awaken if he said those words. So instead he said:

"I can see that this raises some question..." He cleared his throat as he saw tears of frustration form in Brock's eyes, Pikachu trying to hide his face in embarrassment, and Dawn's and Leona's mouths were wide open. "I... Um... Encountered this girl, Miss Melody, during my vacation and she seems rather... attached... to me..."

"'Attached'..." Dawn had never felt a stronger desire to punch Ash than as she did now, but the royal side in her made herself calm down. "Who... Is... She..."

"Euhm... Miss Melody..." Ash cleared his throat once again as he tried to poke the sleeping girl, who still had her arms and legs tightly gripped around him. "We've arrived now."

"Huh...?" The beautiful brunette opened her eyes slowly and tired. "We're there already?"

"Y-Yeah, Miss Melody..." Ash gulped, it seemed as though the onlookers didn't show any signs of calming down. "You-... You wouldn't mind letting me go?"

"Naww... Ash is blushing!" Dawn felt her heart stop as she saw the brunette throw her arms around him again and snuggle into his chest. "You don't need to be so formal with me! After all, we're getting married!"

"MARRIED?'!" It didn't matter which legendary, Ash prayed that anyone of them would save him from this, right now! Dawn was looking really angry...

It didn't really help with Melody taking her eyes away from Ash for the moment, looking lazily at the pretty blunette and asked with a bored tone: "Who's that?"

"I-..." The royalty calmed herself down a bit, not wanting to make a scene. "I am Dawn Berlitz, royal princess of Sinnoh... May I ask your name, what business do you have with MY bodyguard?"

Ash winced slightly as the grip around him tightened... It had to be his imagination, since it seemed as though daggers appeared out of Melody's eyes...

"I am Melody Fleura, a Temple Maiden of the Shamouti Island... meaning that I don't need to obey any royalty." She added. It seemed that she did it just to tease the other girl... Ash was understanding the situation less and less. "I am also the destined wife of Ash here!"

"A princess and a Temple Maiden...?" Leona shook her head with a tired smile and deep sigh. "I give up, the competition is too great."

"W-Wait a minute!" Dawn's face started to heat up incredibly at both of their words. "W-What do you mean by 'Destined wife of Ash'?"

"Its exactly as I said, didn't you hear?" The brunette asked innocently as her nuzzling had moved from the mercenary's chest, to his cheek now. "A prophecy said that I am supposed to marry this man!"

"What!'?" Ash didn't really care about the reason why the girls seemed to be tense and angry... but he didn't like where it was going, as it was risky to reveal his past. "Why did a prophecy say that? Why would you want to marry a mercenary?'!"

"Why-... You don't know?" Melody looked at the girl with big eyes, then she turned her gaze towards Ash. "She doesn't know?"

The mercenary didn't answer, he just let the countless of sweat-drops pour down from his face as he looked straight forward.

"What is she talking about, Ash?" Dawn demanded to know as she had started to walk forward threateningly. "What do I not know?"

"Ooh... This is interesting..." Melody smiled confidently at her, and Ash could see his life being destroyed right in front of him. "Of course, the reason why we should be married is because he is the only..."

"_It was nice as long it lasted..._" Ash thought with a tired look and braced himself for the worst.

"...man who has seen me naked!"

"..."

What came next is what people liked to call "An Awkward Moment".

Pikachu had started to look straight into a corner, not wanting to face the humiliation of his partner anymore.

Brock had stopped with crying, he had outright fainted as he whimpered on the ground, cursing his own misfortune with women and Ash's luck... if you now could call it that.

Leona had her hands over her mouth as it looked like she wanted to say something like: "Oh, my..." She clearly had no chance whatsoever with Ash now.

Dawn, on the other hand, had closed her eyes and clenched her fists as they shook heavily... Ash started to suspect that she was a Dark Aura, since he felt a very hateful wave of energy being directed towards him...

"I... See..." The mercenary shivered at her words… so cold... "You... Can... Have... All... The... Time... You... Need..."

With that she grabbed Leona and the fainted Brock as she dragged them back into the inner walls, only to close the gate after them. Ash could feel their Auras grow faint as they moved towards the castle.

"What's her problem?" Melody asked with a frown, as she then looked suspiciously towards the mercenary, their faces only millimeters apart. "Ash! What's she to you?"

"You're too much..." The mercenary muttered in depression, feeling that his life would be twice as hard as it had been before, and half as short... "But... Thanks, for not telling them."

"Of course!" The girl beamed at him, always happy when the man complimented her. "Married couples DO stand up for each other after all!"

"Great..." A very, depressed Ash let out a long sigh, only to be interrupted by noticing the yellow rodent appear in front of them. "Pikachu?"

"Pikchu-pika!" The rodent yelled at him, very annoyed. "Pika-Pi pikachu pi-... PIKA!"

"I can't believe it!" The rodent was about to do an accident when the brunette squealed and lifted him up, snuggling into him. "It's really THE Pikachu of Sir Ash! You're just as cute as the stories say! You're ADORABLE!"

"Pika...?" The rodent, who tried to breathe from the girl's hard grip, looked at his partner with a confused look.

"She's an Aura User." Ash could talk freely now, as no one was close by. "She saw and felt my Aura and, well... She figured it all out, she pretty much knows the story about why we quit."

"Pika...chu..." The rodent sighed, disappointed at his partner's ability to keep things hidden. "Pika-chu, PikaPi?"

"Yeah, she wants me to train her..." Ash scratched the back of his head. "Of course, I've told her no, but..."

"You're so very cute! With all those soft little red cheeks! And this little lightning-shaped tail!" Ash and Pikachu sweat-dropped at the girl, yet the rodent found itself to squealing embarrassingly and happily as she petted him.

"...She's rather hard to deny..." Ash continued with an even bigger sweat-drop as it seemed like Pikachu had taken a liking to her. "...Such a pain..."

"Hey, look." Melody looked up from her playing with Pikachu, since Ash's voice sounded very serious. "I need to get back to my duty now... And you can't follow me."

"What? Why not?" The brunette whined as she let go of the rodent and started to half-climb onto Ash instead. "I don't want to leave you alone with that woman!"

"Don't worry, she's not dangerous." Ash explained calmly, clearly misunderstanding her words. "But this is my duty... Now, I don't know how long you intend to follow me and pester me about teaching you, but you can't enter the castle..."

He tried to look away from her begging look, only to take a deep breath.

"Look for a man named Nando in the city, a bard with long black hair and green clothes... If you tell him that you're a friend of mine, I'm sure you can stay with him for a while..." The mercenary cleared his throat as he felt her grip on him become even tighter, clearly not wanting to leave him. "Don't worry, I won't leave this place without you."

"You promise?" The girl asked sadly, clearly not wanting to part with him at all.

"I swear on my sword." Ash smiled as he patted the Sword of Kanto on his back, he had even been forced to tell her the history of the sword. "Now, go on... I need to figure out why the princess was behaving so strangely."

"You're really dense, Ash..." Melody sighed as she hugged him one last time, as though trying to recharge herself. She then started to run towards housing area on the mid-level of the city, only to turn around, wave and scream to him: "But that's one of the reasons to why I chose you!"

"Am I..." The rodent looked at his partner, who seemed to be very deep in thought. "...Cursed...?"

"Pika..." The rodent sighed heavily, wondering how long he would be able to keep up with his companion.

* * *

"What's wrong, princess?" Four beings were walking on a road, heavily guarded by guards on either side, towards their destination. "Are you mad?"

"I'm not mad." The blue-haired girl stated, as she still refused to look at him. "By the way... What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with... _that_ woman."

"Princess, I have no idea what you are talking about." Ash explained honestly, as he tried to look at Brock and Pikachu for an answer, none of them looked him in the eyes. "Please, tell me the reason why you are so mad."

"I'm NOT mad!" Dawn Berlitz burst out angrily, attracting the stares from the nearby guards, forcing her to deal with them first. "Sorry, sorry, there's no problem here." She then turned her gaze towards Ash, and the look in her eyes made him take a step back. "You come home hours later than what was decided... And, on top of it, you bring home a woman! And she's all over you! Then you ask me if something's wrong? WRONG?'! THINK, for once, Ash!"

"I-..." The young, very dense, man still had no idea whatsoever the princess was mad about. But Ash knew defeat when he saw it, so he bowed his head, looking regretful, and said: "I'm sorry, Lady Dawn... I hope you weren't too offended by my actions."

"Well... Now that you're apologizing-... But! Let's not forget what you did, okay?" The sudden addition of words was because the mercenary sent her a sharp look, a completely normal one for Ash, and it made the princess quickly turn away her head to hide the light red on her cheeks. "A-Anyway... Why would a Temple Maiden be with you? What's she's to you-... I mean, how did you meet?"

"I have a hard time figuring out how myself, honestly." Ash muttered, mostly to himself, but when the princess of Sinnoh looked at him, he answered her: "I met her at Pastoria City, she was being harassed by three men, probably drunk and-"

"Let me guess." Dawn cut him off, sending him a cold stare. "You decided to play the hero and rush in to help her, when you saw that she was around your age and a girl...?"

"Eh?" The mercenary cleared his throat slightly, avoiding the princess's stare. "Actually... She beat them up before I had even reached them."

"I though s-... What?" Dawn had to admit, she was surprised by those words. Her impression of the girl, Melody, had been that she could barely lift as much as a flower... let alone beat three grown men up. "A-And... Then what? You invited her to your camp and got close to her?"

"Euhm..." Ash cleared his throat once again, pondering if he should reveal the full story of his and Melody's encounter for the princess... But something, deep inside of him, advised the mercenary to not give out the full story... So Ash said: "Well... She actually thought that I was a part of the group of men, and started to attack me... Then-... To cut a long story short: I ran away from her."

"How come she was with you, then...?" The raven-haired, young man felt the princess's dangerous aura now, even Brock and Pikachu felt it since they decided to keep themselves out of things. "I didn't really get the impression that you had fled from her..."

"We... Talked things over a bit, and figured out that we had much in common... So we decided to travel together for a bit! Yeah, that's right." It seemed as though Ash tried to convince himself of his own story, more than toward the princess. "Let's change subject, princess. We will soon arrive at our destination."

True to word, they would soon arrive at a place north of Hearthome City, a place named "Amity Square". It had been Ash's own decision, after he had evacuated it of all the love-sick couples that tried to spend some time alone away from their parents or similar.

The square was, as its name presents, a big square. It was the best choice possible, since the north side of Amity was a great mountain range, making it impossible to attack or flee from that side. The east and west side both had very thick forests that prevented any large group of enemies from moving swiftly and stealthily through it.

The only possible attack route for an army, big enough to defeat Ash, would be from the south side. And that side would be heavily guarded by the hand chosen soldiers of Sinnoh, that were ready to throw away their own lives for their princess, with Cynthia leading them.

Why all this fuss, you ask? The princess would've, very much, liked to have avoided this little event... But Cyrus had finally had enough. He had realized that, for each day that passed, his daughter grew more and more attached to the mercenary who was supposed to be her bodyguard. And he couldn't do anything about it, since it seemed like Ash had no idea whatsoever of what was going on, nor did the mercenary do anything wrong that could make the king break their contract... So that's why the only solution left was this: Find the girl a suitable husband.

However, even though King Cyrus was the leader of Sinnoh... He was still a father first, a very protective father. So he simple wouldn't marry his daughter away to some old noble, not even one who had some royal blood in him. No, it had to be a prince.

Unfortunately, their choices were running out... His first choice had been the Prince of Kanto, Richard... but after his death, the plan had been completely ruined. That's why his second choice had been the prince of Johto, Kenny... But, after the joined forces of the princess and mercenaries, it too had also been destroyed. Not that Cyrus minded it, since the family of Johto had showed their son's true face that night... That's why he only had one more choice now: The prince of Hoenn, who was about two years older than his own daughter.

Ash knew that the king had wanted to wait until last minute with the people of Hoenn since they were not on the best of terms... Heck, Hoenn loved to rage war with anyone that could present an army.

"By the way..." Ash became rather annoyed at the princess, as she interrupted his epic narration inside his own head. "Mind explaining to me what that woman, Melody was it? meant by 'Seen me naked'...?"

"Oh..." Ash had completely forgotten that-... Not the picture inside his head of the naked girl, but the possibility that the princess might try that strategy to strike him down. "That... Was an accident!"

"Really...?" It seemed as though the princess had a hard time believing him, with them drawing close to the park. "Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes." Ash nodded, his face showing no kind of emotion as he looked straight forward, not even dare looking a guard in the eyes. "I simply walked in, by accident, as she went for a swim in the lake."

"So... you are saying that you ACCIDENTALLY saw a pretty girl at your age take a swim?" It seemed as if Dawn's voice had, if possible, become even colder. "You? Sir Ash, the mercenary, didn't notice a young girl swimming in a lake... Is that what you're trying to tell me...?"

"Exactly, princess!" Ash was lucky for several reasons: One, he had no idea what the word 'irony' meant; Two, the princess couldn't be mad at him because of his denseness; Three, she didn't have time to question him any further, as they were already there.

"We have arrived, Lady Dawn." Brock, who hadn't dared to speak a word during the whole journey, finally presented her with the park. "The Amity Square!"

The blue-haired girl sighed heavily as several old ladies started to 'beautify' the princess, and at the same time scolding her for walking instead of taking a carriage.

Ash, who could see that the old woman didn't make a threat towards the princess, walked calmly up towards the captain of Sinnoh.

Cynthia was talking with some of her subordinates, as they asked her questions about the landscape and the strength of the other region's military force. The blond captain the notice the raven-haired mercenary walk towards her, so she sent away the soldiers and greeted him with a calm smile.

"I see the journey here went smoothly, Sir Ash." Cynthia nodded as she looked in the princess's direction. "Any questions about your task-... You look awfully pale, is something wrong?"

"No... I'm fine." Ash, who still hadn't fully recovered from the princess's interrogation, spoke slowly as he thought of the plan they had developed in the castle. "Are the men ready?"

"As ready as they'll ever be, we've been preparing this for months." Cynthia declared with a proud smile, she seemed to care for her soldiers like her own children. "Hoenn won't dare try anything on this day."

"They are not that stupid to charge the princess of Sinnoh in broad daylight, captain." Ash answered her calmly. He seemed to have a lot less interest in this event, since he expected it to be very calm and boring. "Do we have a measure of their force's strength?"

"We do." The captain nodded as she looked towards the entrance of the square. "If we were to have a battle, we would win without much effort. They are really confident in their men's strength it seems."

"Confidence is good, but it might lead to one's defeat... Yet, so does underestimating your enemy." Ash explained slowly as he, too, looked towards the agreed meeting place. "Don't take them too lightly."

"Hey... Who's the experienced soldier here...?" The blond woman asked coldly, clearly offended by Ash's words. "I have faced them in battle before, they rely more on numbers and raw strength than tactics... Although, that was a couple of years ago."

"And they have understood the terms of the meeting?" Ash, who seemed to ignore the captain's lecturing tone, asked as he seemed to be eager to get this thing over with.

"Yes, we have received a letter of agreement from them." The captain nodded. "None of the soldiers will enter the square, they will stay on the north side and we on the south... The royalties are supposed to meet on the small island, where the two bridges meet, in the middle of the park. Both of them will be unarmed and wear no armor... However, they will have two bodyguards with them, one human and one pokemon. The humans are prohibited from carrying any ranged-weapon and the pokemon can't be of a sort that's bigger than a fully grown man. Also, the bodyguards will stay ten meters away from the decided place where the prince and princess will meet each other, if any of them move closer than the marked lines, the other bodyguards have permission to charge and kill the other. The meeting is over when one of the royalties decide to leave."

"That's a lot of rules." Ash stated, as he watched the captain gasp for air after finishing her long speech without stopping to breathe once. "But they are necessary. After all, one wrong move and it might start a war."

"So don't lose your head in there." Cynthia warned him, in more ways that one. But Ash had already started to walk towards the entrance, where the princess and a lot of guards waited for them.

_"You've really grown..." Giovanni smiled happily at the boy, who only looked at him in confusion. "That's true, but I doubt she realizes it... and..."_

_"And what, my liege?" The Aura Guardian now had a deep frown over his face, he didn't like the tone in his voice._

_"Then King Archie demanded that..." Giovanni went red with anger as he recalled the incident. "He DEMANDED... that MY ONLY DAUGHER should be MARRIED __to__ his little PUNK!"_

Ash stopped, suddenly. The scenario of his past had played out in his head without warning... What did it mean? He was getting a bad feeling about this. All those years ago, Hoenn had been so eager to find a suitable princess for their own prince... Why? The prince hadn't been ready for marriage at that age, anyway.

And what really made Ash stop and rethink this plan, was that after princess Leafiona had turned the prince of Hoenn down, the royal family was murdered by a Dark Aura... Did Hoenn have Dark Auras under their command? No, that's impossible. Dark Auras don't swear their alliance to anyone, that's their only pride. But why did he suddenly get such a bad feeling about it then...? Maybe he would-

"Ash? Is something wrong?" The mercenary looked up and saw the princess of Sinnoh stand there.

She was dressed in a navy-blue dress, with yellow stripes from the waist and down. The dress didn't have any sleeves, showing her bare arms instead. Her hair was put up in a little 'ball', as Ash liked to call it, that seemed to have required a lot of work. She was also wearing some kind of shoes, whose material looked like glass yet they seemed too light to be made of that material.

It seemed as the king was dead-serious in making this meeting a success...

"No, not at all." Ash bowed his head slightly, mostly for hiding his troubled face. "You look very beautiful, Lady Dawn."

"Y-You think so?" The 'red attack' overcame the princess's face again as she quickly turned around and cleared her throat. "Well, I'm happy to know that you think so, Ash. What do you say about us get this thing over with?"

"Of course, princess." Ash nodded as the yellow rodent, who seemed to have been keeping a rather discrete face the whole time, jumped up onto his right shoulder. "Let's go."

They walked past the guards in silver-white armor, towards two guards in black and blood-red armor instead. Both of the men held a shield with the Hoenn insignia. And a middle-length sword at their waist, that both seemed to be in dire need of a good sharpening.

"Present your name and rank, guards of Hoenn." Ash spoke coldly towards them, he could smell fresh blood on their armor, only about a month old.

"Anthony Smith, private." A young guard with brown, short hair spoke up quickly.

"Watt West, lieutenant." A man with the same hair-color spoke calmly; he had much longer hair than the previous one... Ash would've guessed he was about 20 years older too. "May we know the names of the ones who accompany the princess of Sinnoh?"

"Sir Ash, royal knight of Sinnoh and bodyguard of princess Dawn Berlitz, also known as 'Ash, the mercenary." He was followed up by a: "Pi, Pikachu-Pi, PikaPi pi-ka."

"So he was right... They would send Ash, the mercenary..." The young man muttered towards the other guard, very nervously.

"Quiet, you!" Watt West, who seemed to be calm earlier, snapped harshly, as he looked the way where the meeting-place should be at. "He can hear us!"

"'He'?" Ash growled dangerously, clearly suspecting something was not right... It wasn't the first time he got such reactions when he presented his name, but their little conversation showed that they hid more than they showed.

"N-Never mind, Sir." The older guard of Hoenn spoke quickly. "We are just going to make sure that you live up to the requirements, before we let you pass."

Ash, who knew that he didn't deal with some usual thugs on the road, gave up in finding out who they were talking about... But he became even more on his guard as he realized that they feared the unknown man more than him... and that accounted for a lot.

The guards quickly searched Ash for any kinds of ranged-weapons, before taking his bow and arrows. They also made sure that Pikachu didn't hide anything that could be used as one for Ash, only to find nothing. However, when they were about to search the princess, Ash stopped them.

"I won't let you lay one hand on the royal princess, soldiers of Hoenn." He declared with a dark look as he had placed himself in their way. "She's not one to wear a weapon... and I doubt she'd be able to use it even if she did." He didn't notice the vein that appeared on the back of Dawn's head. "Let us pass, or this whole meeting is off."

Dawn hoped for all she was worth that they wouldn't let them pass, as the two guards seemed to discuss the matter between each other. But her hopes shattered into pieces as they nodded and stepped aside, as the younger of them ran towards Hoenn's camp, to tell that the check was over.

Ash didn't utter one word to the blunette as they walked towards the lake, Dawn suspecting him to be nervous of the meeting... even though it was her place to feel nervous, not his.

But Ash wasn't nervous over the meeting itself, the bad feeling he had only grew stronger and stronger as they walked towards their destination. The mercenary felt a little hope as he saw the two guards of Sinnoh, Byron and Maylene, come walking in their direction.

The rules were that the royal escort wasn't allowed to come within two meters near the returning guards, to prevent the handing of weapons between them. But Ash sent Byron a look that only those who had been in many battles could read.

So, when they passed each other, Byron quickly said in a low tone:

"A Weavile and a long-sword..." He hesitated as they walked back. "Keep an eye on the bodyguard, I get a bad feeling from him."

The elderly brunette could see the mercenary raise his right hand in thanks, before they made a turn to walk towards the lake.

"What did he mean, Ash?" Dawn asked carefully, not wanting to ruin the raven-haired mercenary's concentration. "Was he talking about the prince's bodyguards?"

"Yeah..." Ash spoke slowly, and the tone of his voice was barren of any emotion. "Be careful, on that island. If you get a bad feeling, run straight back to me. We can leave as soon as you have greeted each other."

"A-Alright..." Dawn didn't like this. The tone in Ash's voice, the look in his eyes... They were exactly the same as when he was about to take the life of another...

They had arrived at the bridge which led to the small island. Trees blocked the little island all around, making the guards on both sides unable to see what happened in there... And, what's worse, no matter what kind of sound they heard they were prohibited from interfering... unless they were given permission by their captain. But, in doing so, they would risk a great war...

"Are you ready?" The two mercenaries looked at the blunette, who nodded with determination. "Good, let's go."

Dawn felt her heartbeat increase slightly as they walked over the bridge to the island. Ash's dead tone didn't exactly help her nerves either..,

They were a little earlier than the other party, probably waiting to make a dramatic entrance. Dawn could feel Ash stop at the drawn line, about ten meters away from the place where Dawn was supposed to stand and wait.

"Pikachu!" The young woman smiled, a little calmer by the rodent's encouraging words.

Then they came.

Dawn could see them as they passed the bridge, three beings. As Byron had said before, the pokemon was black and looked like a Weavile, there was no doubt about it.

The prince of Hoenn looked very confident and superior with his glossy, green hair, combed very carefully, and his very fancy royal clothing that would've made a peasant's child laugh.

The human bodyguard, however, sent chills down Dawn's spine. His eyes... they didn't seem to be one of a normal man's. They were deep black, showing no color... yet they gave off some invisible evil, red light... Like the villain in a story. His purple hair, which went down slightly over his eyes, didn't help either as it seemed to be almost as evil as his eyes. He was dressed in a black vest, whose sleeves reached all the way down to his hands, and rather tight and very dark gray pants. He wore a blood-red cloak and hat, along with black boots. His cloak seemed ripped at the end of it, as it had been through a lot, and his hat seemed to be ripped, too, at the back. At his waist was a long-sword that almost scrapped the ground as he walked.

The bodyguards, too, stayed behind their drawn line. They watched as the prince walked towards Dawn with a slightly arrogant smile, according to Dawn anyway.

"Dawn Berlitz, princess of Sinnoh!" He opened his arms wide, as he continued to walk towards her, Dawn didn't know if he wanted a hug or if it was just a formal greeting... Then it happened. "It's a great pleasure to-..."

The prince let out a shriek as Dawn felt two beings move past her, on both sides. The princess's eyes widened as she stretched out her hand, trying to stop Ash and Pikachu as they charged towards the prince.

She could see Pikachu's cheek spark and Ash drew his sword, when they were about a meter from the prince, he got down and cowered in fear... However, even Drew Shu did they run past.

"YOU!" Dawn backed away as she heard Ash scream that word with rage and saw him swing his sword towards the bodyguard of Hoenn, thinking that he killed him.

But, the moment before the sword made contact on the bodyguard's flesh, he too had brought out his sword and blocked it, making the sparks fly all around them.

"It's an honor to meet you... Sir Ash..." Dawn had never heard such a cold voice, as she saw him push the mercenary away with his sword.

Pikachu had already started to engage the Weavile in combat, using its silver-glowing tail to strike him down as it sent hundreds of volts out at the same time... yet the pokemon seemed to evade them all.

"Ash! Stop th-"

"STAY BACK!" Dawn had never heard the mercenary scream with more fear in his voice before.

She could see him charge again, his sword thirsting for the blood of his enemy. But the opponent only stepped aside and struck the sword of the mercenary down onto the ground, before he kicked Ash away.

"Is that really some way to greet someone... _Sir_ Ash..." The purple-haired man, who seemed to be about three years older than Ash, smirked with an evil smile as he tilted his head a bit. "Let me introduce myself: My name is Paul Shinji, and this is my companion, Weavile, I was born in-"

"I don't care about the origins of some FILTHY DARK AURA!'!" Ash roared once again as he charged the newly introduced Paul, his grip tight around his sword.

"Fool! Do you think you can continue to run at me like that!'?" Paul laughed loudly and hatefully as he put his hands together and summoned a glowing-red orb. "You are WEAK!"

He threw it towards Ash, who quickly threw himself towards the side, just barely avoiding. The orb continued until it made contact with a large stone... When it had hit, the stone was gone.

"_S-Such power..._" Dawn felt her legs give in... She had heard about the Dark Auras before, Aura-Users who had chosen the dark path of the Aura... She also knew that a normal man couldn't stand against them. "_Ash..._"

"PikaPi!" The rodent called out to his partner, as he saw him get up from the ground, coughing.

"What? Don't tell me..." A very dark smile appeared on the Dark Aura's face. "So it is true after all... pathetic!"

"SILENCE!" Ash didn't only shout in anger and rage, he also shouted because he refused to give in to fear. "_I can win! I've faced them before... I can do it!_"

Their swords clashed once again, as lightning and dark spheres flew all around them and crashed into the ground. They fought at incredible speeds as they dodged the random attacks from the pokemon at the same time... They had already surpassed the limits of humans, in Dawn's eyes.

"Is this your current level?" Paul sneered as he smashed away Ash's sword with his own, making them almost stand face-to-face. "Your legend begets you, Au-"

"I told you..." Ash growled dangerously, his eyes shined a very dangerous mix of blue and red color, invisible to the normal human eye. "SHUT UP!'!"

Their sword clashed again, and again, and again. They swung their weapons so fast that the onlookers would've said that the battle was being fought with ten swords, not two.

Ash dodged another sphere that was sent from Paul. He then got up from the ground and tried to drive the tip of his sword into Paul, to pierce his black heart... But the slightly older man blocked it with the edge of his own sword, smirking.

"Pathetic..." He said once again as he looked disappointed. "You, if anybody, should know that you can't win by relying solely on skills in a battle between two humans like us... You need POWER!"

Ash then had to throw himself out of the way, once again, from a red sphere that was thrown in his direction. "Is that all you can show me, Sir Ash?"

"'Sir Ash'..." The young man got up, his dead eyes flaring more and more with each passing second. "I am: Ash, the MERCENARY!" The weapons clashed again, both combatants growled, one in rage and one in impatience.

"Knock it off, with the child's play!" Paul roared angrily as he kicked the mercenary in the stomach, sending him flying. "Show me your real power! Your true self!"

"I thought I told you..." Ash muttered once again, as he got up from the ground. He had acquired some wounds from Paul's sword, but nothing serious... yet he hadn't even been able to touch the Dark Aura. He charged him once again. "SHUT UP!"

"This is a waste of my time..." The Dark Aura, who wasn't even panting, muttered as he lifted his sword, ready to deal the finishing blow.

Ash changed his direction slightly and, then, appeared as a flash at the side of Paul, hoping to strike him at the side... But the purple-haired man could foresee his move; he blocked it with his sword and sighed in frustration and disappointement.

"The one who would surpass Aaron Ketchum..." He growled as his eyes flashed red, his face twisting into a look of rage. "Weavile!"

Ash's eyes shot up in shock as he noticed the knocked out Pikachu, who laid on the ground in a large amount of blood... He had given in to his own anger when he fought against Paul and he hadn't been aware of his surroundings. And now he could see everything in slow-motion.

The smirking Paul that lifted his sword; His longtime partner lying unconscious in a pool of its own blood; The black pokemon jumping towards him with its claw glowing bright silver...

"NO!" Dawn could only watch with her hands over her mouth as she saw the man who was close to her heart threw himself out of the way of the attacks, which were all in vain...

The pokemon's claw quickly sank into Ash's face, even though he threw his head backwards... If Ash hadn't moved his head, his skull would probably have been split open... He then rolled away on the ground, dodging Paul's sword. The mercenary got up on one knee.

"Gah!" Ash clasped his right eye, he had been lucky. Only two claws had hit him, and he had been able to keep his eye... However, the blood that flowed out from his wound would make his eye useless anyway, as it blinded him. "Damn it..."

"Ash!" He could feel how the princess, despite her fear, was about to run towards him.

"STOP!" Ash breathed heavily as he got up on shaky legs, the blood still refusing to stop flowing. "You would only be in my way... Please, for once, listen to me..."

"Ash..." He didn't even turn around when he spoke, probably refusing to show Dawn his wound. "Why..."

"Run for help..." Was all he said, the prince had already disappeared long ago, Ash was rather confused as to why Hoenn hadn't sent in any soldiers. "At least four soldiers... can you do that?"

The blunette didn't answer him, she only ran as he told her to, the tears didn't stop flowing from her eyes...

"Four soldiers...?" Paul looked with a tilted head on the wounded mercenary, the black pokemon snickered at his side. "I wouldn't even call that underestimating, that's just-"

"They are not to fight you." Ash glanced towards his wounded partner, the rodent was still breathing... but who knew for how long? He could feel a great rage fill his body. "They are to carry away your dead body!"

"And here we go again..." The purple-haired man sighed as he saw the raven-haired man come sprinting towards him, the sword once again pointed towards his heart. "As I thought... I'm certain that you'd win if neither of us had the power of Aura, but..."

The sword clashed again, but Paul removed his left hand from his weapon and punched Ash in the face, making him stagger back and then dealt a kick to Ash's stomach.

Ash got down on his knees as he gasped for air, feeling irritated with himself. The Dark Aura was only playing with him, he could finish him off anytime he wanted to...

"Seems like you still refuse to use your powers, even if it kills you..." Paul mused to himself, as he looked at the heavy breathing Ash. "All those years I spent looking for you... How do you think I'll be able to take your Aura if you don't even bother showing it?'!"

"Heh... sorry... to... make... you... dis-... disappointed..." Ash panted, his lungs hurt, his whole body wanted to give in, he had lost the feeling in the right half of his face... But he still got up on shaky legs and glared on the man in front of him. "I... will... never... show you... my... Aura!"

He then put both hands on his sword and placed himself in his usual battling-stance, the sword gripped tightly in front of him and his feet wide apart.

"Seems like I need to show you the difference in our powers once again." Paul sighed as he took a step back with his right foot, before sheathing his sword and put his hands together. "Come!"

"RAAH!" Ash gathered the last of his strength, the feeling of slow-motion appeared again as he ran towards him, each step feeling like someone hitting his head with a giant hammer.

He slowly lifted his sword, blinked... The sphere still hadn't regained its full form in Paul's hand... he could win!

"DIE!" Ash roared for all his worth as he swung the sword down, towards Paul's head.

"No... you..." Then, when the sword was so close to make contact, he sent away the sphere.

The red Aura Sphere collided with the sword as Paul summoned a red, transparent shield.

A big explosion.

Smoke.

When the smoke died down, you could see two beings stand there, facing each other. Paul Shinji had gotten a scratch on the cheek, and a little blood dropped from his arm.

The right part of Ash's face was completely covered in blood, it was pouring from his left leg, and arm too, along with his chest.

In one of the two combatants, was the metal from a sword tip... The tip was from the Sword of Kanto, and it was... inside of Ash...

"H-How..." The mercenary sunk down onto his knees, coughing up even more blood. "I-..." He coughed more. "Impossible..."

_"Mr. Oak... what's THAT?" Ash asked with big eyes as he looked at the wall._

_"That, my child," Oak smiled even wider when he saw the boy's expression. "is the Sword of Kanto!"_

"W... Why...?" Ash only looked with dead eyes at the piece of metal that was stuck in him.

_"It's said that this sword can never be destroyed." Oak explained as he held it in front of Ash. "That this sword can be brought down against a stone without leaving so much as a mark on it!"_

_"Can I hold it?" The boy asked carefully and took a step towards it._

The Dark Aura had started to laugh, he thought it was too funny to see a warrior fall victim to his own sword. The raven-haired young man looked so pathetic when he was on his knees there, looking ahead with his empty look.

_"Mr. Oak..." The boy asked carefully after a while, the sword in Samuel's hands. "What does that inscription say?"_

_"Well, I know how you pronounce it..." Oak smiled apologetic. _

_He then cleared his throat and read, "**Svärdet av Kanto är smitt av den röda drakens eld, format av den gröna dinosauriens piskor, och kylt av den blå sköldpaddans vatten**"_

_"Sounds like crazy-talk to me!" The little child stated, with Pichu nodding its head in agreement._

"Ooh...?" Paul looked with a tilted head at Ash, as the mercenary still held the lower part of the broken sword in his hand tightly. Only about 20 centimeters of the blade was still connected to the hilt, the remaining part had been divided on the middle and flown into Ash's stomach because of the impact of the explosion. "So that's the Sword of Kanto...? How interesting!"

He started to slowly walk towards Ash, but the mercenary only looked at him.

"_What's wrong with you?_" Ash felt the sweat appear in his face, the salt from it stinging his wounds even more. "_He's going to kill you! Move! Move, or you'll die! MOVE!'!_"

But his body didn't obey him... he could feel he still had power in his legs... But he couldn't use them.

Something appeared inside of him, something that wasn't caused by the wounds. It grew bigger and bigger, his heart-rate increased, his breathing became quicker and shallower... What kind of feeling was this?

"_Is/Move! this/Move!... fear?/Move!_" Ash couldn't think straight anymore. His lips started to shake, his eyes widened. This was the feeling all of his victims had felt before he had taken their lives... hundreds of people had felt this because of him. And now it was his turn... "_Move... I need to get out of here... I need to live! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!_"

If he could've, he would've asked Paul to spare him, but not a single word appeared from his mouth... He could barely breath now, his eyes were only wide open and watched every move of Paul's sword.

"Do... it quickly..." He heard himself say, against his own will. _"STOP! Don't do it!_"

The Dark Aura just sneered as he raised his sword and swung it towards Ash... Ash closed his remaining eye.

He didn't know for how long he had his eyes closed... a second? A minute? An hour? But when he opened it, he could see the back of the Dark Aura, as he walked away.

"Regain your Aura powers, Ash Aaron Ketchum!" It was such a hateful and disappointed voice. "If you want THIS royal family alive for a change, you better grow stronger... The next time we meet, it will be the end for you."

Ash ignored his words as he was too shocked. The mercenary had been through so many battles before, he had gotten countless of wounds... yet, this man had the ability to toy with his prey, to bring out the darkest parts in them...

The raven-haired, young man felt the fear slowly but surely disappear, as the Dark Aura left.

"P-... Pikachu..." Ash panted heavily, the pain of his wounds increasing even more, if possible. The pounding in his head and the feeling in his body was unbearable... But he needed to make sure Pikachu was safe. "Pika...chu..."

The mercenary crawled towards the little pile of yellow mixed with red. He felt a great relief as the mass slowly turned around to face him.

"Pika-..chu..." The rodent had gotten a big wound in the stomach, too. The mouse-pokemon laid almost in a fetal-position as it looked towards Ash with shiny and wet eyes, as if he was crying for help. "Pika... pika..."

"Pikachu..." Ash had finally managed to crawl towards him, as he felt himself lose the feeling in his legs. "Are you... alright?"

It was a stupid question to ask, but he actually meant: "Will you be alright?"

"Pika-pi... PikaPi?" The rodent coughed with a little voice, it sounded as though it was sneezing.

"Me?... I'll... manage..." Ash put a hand on the rodent and pulled him into his chest, hugging him. "I've-... I've... lost the... feeling... in most... of my... body,... so it do-... doesn't hurt... that much... anymore..." It was getting more and more difficult to talk.

"Pi...Pika-chu?" The rodent raised its little paw and tried to remove the blood from Ash's right eyes, only to feel its strength disappear and lower it again.

"Yeah... We lost..." Ash coughed even more, he was starting to wonder how much blood he had left, and how much he could afford to lose.

The beaten mercenary felt his conscious slowly drift away, it was hard to even breathe normally right now, when would it all end?

"_We... lost..._" After those two words, the fallen warrior closed his eye.

The last thing he could remember was his back being grabbed by some feminine hands as the person was screaming something at him that he couldn't hear.

**End of chapter 16**

* * *

**How about that? Ash got beaten up rather easily, didn't he?  
Don't worry, this isn't the outcome of the poll... Maybe you can see this more like a warning...?**

**Ah, I almost forgot!  
_THOSE WHO HASN'T VOTED ON THE POLL_, please do it. It'd be a shame to see the story end to your dislike, wouldn't it...? And I won't write two endings! The outcome of the poll will be the only one!**

**I've decided, after hearing you out, to not publish a preview... You guessing the next chapter is enough, according to me ^^**

**Oh, that reminds me:  
_QUESTION_: In the next chapter, how do you think Ash's loss will affect him**** (action- and personality-wise)**?

** It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

**_God Jul/Merry Christmas!'!'!'!_  
**

**R&R!  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello! ****I hope you had a nice Christmas and Holidays! **

**In the previous chapter, Ash and Melody returned to the castle. There, they met the rest of them and the princess and maiden got into their first small fight... Then, the bodyguard and princess went to meet the Prince of Hoenn, Drew Shu... However, Ash got into a fight with the prince's bodyguard, who was a Dark Aura, Paul!  
Ash and Pikachu lost badly and got wounded a great deal... Now, they're back at the castle. But will they return to how the use to be? Will they ever be as strong as they once were? Or will the scars Paul Shinji and his Weavile left, never go away?**

**The question from the previous chapter, was if and/or how Ash's personality/actions would change after his loss... Well, you'll see!**

** Also, this chapter might feel a little rushed, since there's a lot time-skips in it... But I doubt you're interested to read about the time between the skips, since nothing major happened there!**

**Ah, I almost forgot! For those who're wondering why I am writing "!'?" sometimes, it's only because you can't write to exclamation- or question-marks in a row, so I need to put something in between... So, it's not some kind of mistake! ;)**

**I hope you'll enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!  
**

* * *

"Will you be alright?" The young woman ignored the tall man, as he tried to reach out to her. "Can I get you something?"

"Leave me alone..." The female beauty hadn't gotten much sleep, any man or pokemon could see that easily. "I don't want to talk about it..."

The two humans were inside a building which had a red roof of wood and white stone walls. It was mostly used as an inn for travelers, but it also had the equipment for a hospital... Of course, it was only used by those who did not have much money or influence .

"He will get through this, things like this happen." The sing-song tone of the man was almost gone, he too was worried for their newly found friend. "He is strong, stronger than most people..."

"I know that!" Nando almost fell off his wooden chair at the girl's outburst. "I know that... But still... Still..!"

The bard let out a sigh as he looked at the beautiful Temple Maiden, or rather Aura User in training. It had been a month after the rumor that Ash, the mercenary, was defeated by the bodyguard of the prince of Hoenn... The rumor was ever changing, one said that Ash had died, another that his opponent was a Dark Aura, they even stretched it to the extent of saying that the prince himself slew him... Nando and Melody didn't know which to believe, and that gave them a lot of trouble... However, the royal advisor, Brock Harrison, had looked up Melody Fleura, at the thought of her actually being Ash's fiancée, and told her that Ash was very much alive... Although, the strong warrior, along with his partner, were still in some kind of coma after the battle... He couldn't, nor did he seem to want to, tell her anymore than that.

So that's the only information they had about him. Since the information of Ash's defeat had been spread, the royal family had made it an absolute order that not to talk about the mercenaries condition, except for those who took were taking care of the mercenaries.

"Do you-..." The bard with long, raven hair looked at the girl. "Do you really think... He was defeated by a Dark Aura?"

"I don't know..." The bard answered truthfully, as he tried to compose a song about the event... but nothing came to mind. "That may be the only logical explanation... They should be the only ones that would be able to give him a decent match. But, if that were the case-"

"-Why is he still alive?" Melody nodded with a sad look, still thinking about the information. "A Dark Aura would've been able to easily see his powers... And I'm sure that Sir Ash would've been able to kick their butts, if he had only used his Aura. Why didn't he use it then!'?"

Nando only closed his eyes, in sorrow, as the brunette broke down again and started to cry.

"_Ash Aaron Ketchum..._" He thought, with his eyes still shut "_What do you fear...?_"

* * *

"Any change yet?" The doctor started to get tired of the king's questioning. "How is he?"

"My liege..." The healer, who was around 60 years old and very experienced in his profession, answered with a clam tone. "You asked the same thing this morning, he won't recover that quickly."

"I know that!" It seemed as King Cyrus was even more explosive today than usual. "But, as you said before, their life isn't in any danger, right?"

"Sir Pikachu was never in any danger." The gray haired doctor, named Stephan, explained slowly. "A pokemon's ability to heal itself is far greater than any human alive. The only thing we needed to do was to stop the bleeding and then he would be alright... However..."

"Continue." The male of the Berlitz family saw that the doctor had stopped himself when he saw the princess, queen and advisor enter the room.

"Sir Ash has been back and forth between the line of life and death..." He cleared his throat once again, it seemed almost as though the family blamed him for what had happened... "I can easily see that he continued to fight his opponent even after his body had passed its limit... Yet, I'm very surprised."

"What are you talking about?" A vein appeared at the back of the doctor's head, they seemed to LOVE interrupting him. "What's so surprising?"

"I would get to that, Mr. Harrison..." He glared at the advisor, who seemed to get what he meant and looked away quickly. "Any normal man would've easily died of those wounds the minute after he got them... Yet, this man survived the long and tough road back to the castle... And what surprised me even more is that his wounds had already began to close just as we were about to operate on him!"

"Isn't that a good thing?" The youngest blunette asked, as she looked at her mother with a worried look. Queen Johanna just hushed her, knowing that she had just interrupted the doctor.

"It's not a matter if it's a good or bad thing..." Stephen coughed a bit, more likely out of irritation than anything else. "It's simply not normal for any human to do so! We have a long way to go before we even know half of the miracles of the human body... But, with everything we know now, I'd say that his body's recovery rate is more akin to a pokemon's than a human."

"You're... saying that Sir Ash is a pokemon?" Now it was Johanna that couldn't keep quiet, it all sounded so silly. "That he has the body of a pokemon?"

"Absolutely not!" The gray haired man defended himself quickly. "His body is the one of a human, at least based on his organs and build... His body is much stronger and sturdier than usual, but that can be achieved through intensive training... What I am saying is that he possesses something, that we're not able to see, something which makes his recovery rate ridiculously high."

"Well... Whatever it is." All eyes were on the king as he got up from his throne and looked down at his family and subordinates. "The only thing we need to focus on now is to make Sir Ash and Pikachu better. What are your thoughts on it, Doctor Stephen?"

"My liege." The old man, who was happy that the king had, for once, said his name and profession in the same sentence, said with a knowing tone. "Sir Pikachu will wake up any hour now, according to my calculations... But, Sir Ash, might take a little longer..."

"How much longer, if you were to guess?" King Cyrus never understood why a doctor never wanted to give a straight answer, as though they thought they were to get the blame for anything that happened...

"I don't know..." Stephen asked truthfully. "A minute? An hour? A day? A week? A month? A year? It all depends on the will of the patient... and his emotional recovery rate."

"Emotional recovery rate?" Brock's frown became even deeper as he heard the doctor speak. Harrison had always been interested in medicine and healing, but he had no idea what the old man spoke of.

"Yes, his psychological health..." It seemed as the gray haired doctor hesitated as to whether he should tell them this, but the looks on their faces didn't give him any choice. "From what I've heard... The patients got badly beaten in that battle. They might believe that they died, so they don't want to wake up. Of course, this is only speculation." It seemed as though his audience still didn't know what he meant, so he continued. "Maybe they, subconsciously, are afraid to wake up. They might not want to face their painful and humiliating defeat... Whenever they wake up, they might act as nothing is wrong with them... But I am almost certain that they will try to cover up the emotional pain that is left in their minds. I suggest that you don't immediately reinstate them to their duties, my king... especially Sir Ash..."

"Why-... Why Sir Ash?" Cyrus, who had a hard time grasping the situation, asked with hesitation.

"It's in a pokemon's nature to fight battles... They have lost some and won some, and they are always ready to get up and fight again... However, for us humans, one major defeat can scar us for life... It might almost go as far that Sir Ash may refuse to ever take up a weapon."

* * *

"You're not going to change... Right, Ash...?" Dawn, whose tears refused to stop pouring, held the mercenary's hand tightly as he laid there. "You're going to still be the same, right?"

No answer, which wasn't much of a surprise.

The right side of the mercenary's face was covered in bandages, but the doctor had said that they could be removed soon. The wounds on his leg and arm were almost fully healed... However, the major wound on his stomach still hadn't fully closed.

No one could even guess how a part of Sir Ash's broken sword was found inside his own stomach, none of the theories that they came up with made any more sense than the last.

Dawn, who still remembered that it was the Sword of Kanto, didn't understand how it could have been broken... Any royalty knew that it was the strongest sword of the century! Some stories even said that it was able to cut through stone, without so much as leaving a scratch on it! So how could it break...?

The princess's grip around the mercenary's left hand became tighter as she saw the broken hilt of the sword... She would've held Ash's right hand, but that was occupied with gripping the hilt of his weapon.

When Dawn had seen that, a great relief came over her. Because she remembered that Ash had, a long time ago, said to her that he never let go of his weapon. The only thing that would make him drop his sword, would be death.

So it was major evidence of that Ash was still alive.

"But why won't you wake up...?" The blunette dried her eyes, as it was rather hard to see with all the tears. "I don't care if you're not able to use a weapon again... Just, please, wake up..."

"Pi... ka...?" The princess's heart leaped when she heard the tiny voice of the mouse-pokemon. "Pika...?"

"Pikachu!" She quickly turned around to face the bed on Ash's left side where the rodent was placed. "You've woken up!"

"Pikach-... uuuu..." The rodent got up too quickly and grasped its little stomach with its even smaller paws, whining tiredly in pain. "Chuu..."

"You need to take it easy, alright?" Dawn stroke him carefully behind the ears, making him smile happily... But the smile soon turned into a face of worry as the rodent remembered what had happened. "Pikachu, PikaPi?"

Dawn had figured out, after all this time, that the word: "PikaPi" meant "Ash", or his word for Ash at the very least... So the blunette only made a motion towards the bed behind her, where the young man lay.

"PikaPi!" The rodent ignored the slight pain in his body and quickly jumped over to the other bed, shaking him. "PikaPi! PikaPi! PikaPi!"

"Don't do it, Pikachu!" The princess grabbed the rodent's paws, stopping him from hitting his partner. "He's hurt and needs his rest... But the doctor says that he'll wake up."

"Pika?" The rodent looked at her with a confused look... But Pikachu relaxed and curled up into a little ball, laying right beside Ash's head.

"Pikachu... Ash..." Dawn smiled sadly at the two of them as she got up. The doctor had told her that she could only visit the mercenary duo for two hours a day. "Get better... okay...?"

She then went out of the dull room and closed the door, leaving Ash and Pikachu alone.

"Pika...?" The rodent asked sadly as it put a paw on Ash's face once again, and started to poke him. "PikaPi! PikaPi!"

"Stop it..." Was the dark voice from the mercenary, as his mouth moved with some trouble. "I am awake, you didn't have to..."

"Pikachu!" The little mouse was delighted as he started to nuzzle his cheek against Ash's left. "Chaaa..."

"Right, buddy... It's alright..." Ash muttered as he slowly opened his left eye, avoiding getting the rodent's fur in it. "I've been awake for... I'd guess ten hours."

"Pika?'!" The rodent burst out, both surprised and angry. "Pikachu-pika!"

"I did try to wake you up... But you shocked me every time I lay hand on you..." The mercenary continued to mutter as he looked around the dark room. There were only two beds in there, and some surgical equipment, it seemed as though this room was made especially for the mercenaries when they came in all beaten up. "Also... I don't want to face the royal family..."

"Pikachuu?" The rodent tilted its head. The yellow mouse had also heard the Dark Aura's words, about the Berlitz family becoming the next target, but he was surprised to hear that his partner didn't dare to break the news to them. "Pika-chu-pi?"

"Oh, that? Did you really believe him?" Ash asked with a big frown, it seemed as though all his fear for the Dark Aura had disappeared. "It didn't make any sense... Lady Dawn is the only princess of royal birth left alive, they wouldn't do such a stupid thing as to trying to kill her. It was just the Dark Aura's empty words to make me take up my Aura again."

"Pika-pi-pi." The rodent declared, as he still sat on Ash's bed and looked at the boy lying down. "Pika."

"I know that he'll most likely come after me..." Ash hesitated, not sure what he should say next. "I'm planning to continue my journey soon... But the reason I don't want to face the royal family is much simpler: I failed."

"Pi?" The yellow pokemon with brown stripes and a lightning-shaped tail on its back looked at him in confusion.

"Do you know what the rumor going around about me is saying?" Pikachu ignored the painful feeling that he hadn't got a rumor about himself yet. "I can't be defeated, I never fail a job... But I DID fail, I DID get beaten... What's worse, my opponent didn't even walk out of there with any serious wounds!"

"Pika..." Ash frowned as he heard the rodent agree with him, not comforting him. "Pika-chu pi."

"Hey... you were knocked out before me and got equally beaten up... at least I managed to scratch my opponent!" Ash sneered, only to have the rodent shoot back another burst of words at him, making him feel even worse.

"You're right..." He finally said as he looked at the broken sword in his right hand. "I did get my own sword driven into me... Talk about shameful..."

"Pika!" The rodent held up its little paw as a: "But!", as he started his rant. "Pikachu-pi! Pikapipi! Pikachu chu! PikaPi, pi!"

"You're... right..." Ash felt a little relived at his partner's words, Pikachu always knew how to make Ash feel better. "I managed to hold my own against a powerful Dark Aura for a while... And the princess is unhurt!"

"Pika!" The rodent, who finally had gotten his partner to cheer up, nodded with a satisfied smile as he saw Ash move his shoulders, as he planned to get up.

"Hey, Pikachu." The rodent looked at him with a hesitant look, he didn't like his tone.

"Pi?"

"Are you hurt?" The rodent's hesitation disappeared when he saw the worried look on Ash's face.

"Pika!" It quickly shook its head as Pikachu got up on his hind legs and started to flex its little body. "Pikachu-Pi!"

"Really? That's good." Ash smiled calmly, as he chuckled lightly at the mouse's antiques. "Then, can you please go and tell Nando, and Miss Melody if you find her, that everything is alright?"

"...pi...?" The rodent had fallen into his trap, only relaxing because his partner was wounded... "Pika-chu..."

The yellow mouse walked out of the room, feeling the pressure of defeat as it somehow opened and closed the heavy door...

Ash only shook his head in amusement. But he hadn't asked Pikachu to do it only to tell the bard and maiden about his condition... There was something Ash wanted to check without having anyone in the room.

He got up on shaky legs, he hadn't stood on them for a month after all. The mercenary then slowly turned towards the mirror that was placed at a corner of the room.

The mercenary looked at his own face, grinning sadly at the bandage that cowered the right half of his head.

"_Eight years..._" Ash thought with a grim look. "_Eight years of fighting, and the first wound I get on my face is from a Dark Aura... figures..._"

He then slowly started to remove the white cloth, rather curious as to how badly the wound had become.

When he dropped the bandage onto the floor and looked at his face, only one word came to mind.

"Huh..."

If you looked closely, you could see two faint lines over his right eye, going down towards it... However, under the eye, the two lines became clearer... But, when he got the wound, he had thrown his head back as much as he could. So the lines under his eye didn't go straight down, it went more like slightly towards his ear. The two lines, from the Weavile's claws, were also clearly visible. The space between them was about one centimeter... He figured the lines would grow fainter and fainter as the years passed, but now he could see them without any effort.

"_A reminder of what you should truly fight... maybe...?_" He sneered at his own thought and turned away from the mirror, hoping to somehow forget their crushing defeat. "_Yeah, right..._"

The mercenary then sat back down onto the bed, he was slowly starting to regain his strength. But he could still feel the effects of blood loss from his body, it would take a few days, a lot of food and liquid to replace that.

Ash eyed the broken sword, he was surprised to see that the other piece, which only consisted of the blade, was lying on the surgeon's table in the room.

He walked towards it and picked it up, wondering what he should do with it.

"_The sword that I've carried with me for over eight years...Destroyed, just like that..._" He let out a big sigh, this wasn't something that you could just put together once again and expect it to be of the same standard. He needed a new sword, but where would he be able to find something of the same quality? "_Still... will that be enough to beat him?_"

Ash suddenly remembered his fight with Paul, when Paul hadn't even started using his aura...

"_He was so fast... I couldn't match up to his speed, not with this sword..._" The mercenary scratched the back of his head as he gripped his sword's hilt tighter. "_It wasn't mine to begin with... Its true place is in the royal halls of Kanto... But how do I return it? Should I just go in and say: Hi! I'm Ash the mercenary! Sorry, but I broke your sword which has a thousand years history... Anyway, here you can have it back!_" He chuckled darkly to himself as he saw the scene play inside his head.

The raven haired young man then looked for something to write on, and found a sheet of paper where the doctor usually wrote instructions to his nurses of what to do with the patients... Ash figured that he wouldn't be needing it any longer and crossed off the instructions with the pen next to it, taking extra care to cross out the part that said that they would wash his 'private parts' tomorrow... As he wrote quickly and clumsily that the broken pieces of the sword should be send to the leader of Kanto from an anonymous source.

He rested the note on the broken edge, hesitated a long time... Then, for the first time in eight years, he put down his sword.

Letting go of his weapon, knowing that he'd never be able to use it again, made him feel naked. Ash didn't want to spend another minute in this room anymore.

He grabbed the clothes that were laying there for him to use when he woke up, got rid of the white sheet, as he described it, and changed into said clothes.

Black, rather baggy, pants and a brown shirt. It fitted him rather well and he felt content with the choices of the royal court.

He went out of the room and closed the door.

* * *

"Brock Harrison! I challenge you!" The poor advisor almost crapped in his pants as he jumped three meters into the air, by the very loud voice from his door.

He quickly turned around, sweaty, and expecting it to be a father of some noble girl that he had... attempted to court...

But his mouth almost hit the ground when he saw a rather pale, sweaty Ash standing there, leaning against the doorframe... Or more like clinging to it to keep himself standing.

"Sir Ash!" Brock Harrison exclaimed with a great deal of surprise as he ran and supported him so he wouldn't fall, and then guided him to sit on a chair. Ash took a deep breath. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still in a coma!"

"Not anymore..." The mercenary panted, it had taken a lot more of his power to get here than he had thought... he hadn't moved a single muscle in over a month after all. "As you can see, I'm fine..."

"I... see..." Brock's eyes paused briefly on the scar, but he didn't say anything about it. The advisor had almost expected it to be something left from that giant wound on his face, but he was actually surprised that it was so small. "Have you reported to the king?"

"Not yet..." Ash panted a little more, but he had managed to catch his breath. He ignored Brock's dramatic fall to the floor. "First, I need to deal with my defeat."

"You mean against the Dark Aura?" Brock got serious, wondering if Ash needed help with training or anything. The advisor had read a lot about Auras, actually, and knew that they could be defeated if you-

"No, another game of chess!" In under a minute, the advisor had fallen down onto the floor two times. "I need to deal with my defeats one after another... So I challenge you, again!"

"Are you... sure you have the power to sit through a two hour game... again...?" Brock asked with his voice filled with hesitation, wondering if he should call the doctor.

"Don't worry, the same thing won't happen again." Ash declared with a confident smile as he straightened himself up and watched Brock take out a new chessboard. "And let's make it interesting... You only have less than one minute to decide and move."

Brock didn't know why... But this new, confident Ash gave him a bad feeling... He should go all out from the start and not give him any chance to make a move.

* * *

_Fifteen Minutes Later..._

* * *

"Checkmate."

Brock quickly grabbed his King and Queen, as Ash tried to reach and strangle them, since he was without a sword.

"I won!" Brock declared with a content smile as the mercenary clenched his fists in frustration, another humiliating defeat... "And I thought I'd told you not to destroy the opponent's pieces in the literal sense!"

"Fine..." Ash lowered his head as he got up from the chair and started to stagger out from the room. "I need to go to the king now... Need to tell him that I'm ready to get back into service..."

"Are... are you sure...?" Brock asked with his voice filled with hesitation as he followed Ash out of the room. "You seem a little... tired..."

"I'm fine, I'm fine..." The mercenary waved him off as he continued to walk-... It was actually more like him stumbling left and right as he attempted to move forward.

Brock watched Ash's drunken-walk with great embarrassment... If someone, who didn't know the mercenary's condition, would see that, they would think the house of Sinnoh hosted drunks... And that's a thing he refused to allow to happen!

That's why he took hold of Ash's right arm, despite his muttering protests, and supported the raven haired young man towards the throne-room. The king needed to tell the mercenary himself that it was impossible for him to get back into service with all those wounds.

* * *

"Ash!" The mercenary and advisor turned around at the excited voice, and their eyes widened slightly.

"It's nice to see you again, princess." The bodyguard gave a short bow to her, his face had regained some of its color.

"I was so worried! I-..." It became an awkward silence as the princess of Sinnoh was a meter from the mercenary, her arms out as she was about to give him a big hug... Dawn had stopped dead in her tracks as she had remembered that she was a royal princess and, no matter how much she wanted to, she just couldn't go around and hug her subjects... "I-... I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry, princess." Ash, who was so exhausted from his little walk that he didn't even have the strength to feel embarrassed, spoke slowly as he smiled kindly towards her. "I apologize for worrying you, Lady Dawn, Lady Leona."

"No worries!" The chambermaid only smiled at him as she waved her hand, trying to stifle her laughter at the still embarrassed princess.

"Did you-..." Everyone's attention was on the blunette, who looked at the mercenary with questioning eyes. It seemed as though Dawn too had noticed Ash's scar, but decided to not comment on it. "Do you remember... anything that happened during the time when you were in a coma?"

"'Do I remember...?" Ash paused as he thought about it, still supported by Brock, when he suddenly remembered something. "I do remember that I had a strange dream..."

"What kind of dream?" Brock, who believed that dreams revealed the girl you'd marry in the future, no matter how many times it had proved him wrong, asked with an interested face.

"I was walking in the woods..." Ash tried to recall as much as possible, but it's rather hard to remember something that was in your mind when you slept. "...when I suddenly heard... singing... I don't know who, or what, was singing... But it felt like it tried to attract me towards it."

"Well, lucky you..." Brock chuckled slightly, as Leona giggled, as they looked at the red-faced Dawn Berlitz. "Do you know anything that can help him remember, princess?"

"Eh!'? No! Not at all!" In truth, Dawn had once been found sitting by Ash's bed, singing. Since she had heard from somewhere that it would cause the patient to wake up faster. She had made Brock and Leona to swear on their lives not to tell anyone, but that didn't hinder them from teasing her whenever the opportunity presented itself. "I've no idea what you're talking about!"

"Oh, don't worry." Ash smiled calmly. "It was a horrible anyway, the one who was singing it was completely tone-deaf."

Brock and Leona froze as Ash continued.

"I mean, it sounded like they tortured Meowths to death! It was more like a nightmare than a dream." He had his eyes closed and head shaking in amusement, making him not notice how Leona and Brock were giving him signs to make him stop, which was all in vain. "I honestly had no idea that anybody could sing that badly!"

"Ash..." The mercenary turned his attention towards the princess, who looked down toward the ground with her fists clenched. The raven haired man wondered why Leona and Brock looked like they were bracing themselves as though they were waiting for the destruction on the word. "Go and die! You idiot!"

"...eh...?" Ash only watched blankly as the royal princess of Sinnoh stormed off towards her room, with Leona hot on her tail. "What... was that all about?"

"Who knew the powerful mercenary could be so dense..." The advisor sighed as he continued to lead Ash towards the place where King Cyrus awaited them. "Have you any idea how the princess feels?"

"Hold it..." They halted, and Brock became glad that Ash had figured it out. "Are you saying... that the princess is feeling ill?"

"Sir Ash..." Mr. Harrison groaned loudly as the questioning look on Ash's face became even more pronounced.

* * *

"Ah, Sir Ash..." The king got up from his throne, much to Ash's and Brock's surprise, to greet them. "The rumor that you're up has already been spread through the castle... and I'm pretty sure that it'll reach the town very soon."

"Is that so? I hope only the right rumor is being spread, my king." Ash let go of Brock and sunk down onto one leg, kneeling to the king.

"Who knows?" The king shrugged his shoulders as he placed himself in his throne once again. "The majority of the city thought you had been killed... So I wouldn't be surprised if they said you were Ash, the Aura Guardian!" Ash stiffened, but relaxed when he realized the king was only joking. "Sir Ash, you don't need to kneel so much. Please, do stand up."

"Actually, my liege..." A giant sweat-drop appeared on the back of Ash's head. "I have no strength to get back up..."

"Good grief..." The king sighed with his hand over his face. "And you refused to lie in bed? I pity the woman who will marry you in the future..."

"What do you mean, sire?" But Ash figured out, by the king's look, that he wouldn't get an answer out of him. So instead he said: "I request to be taken back into my duty, the last month has been plenty of time to rest."

"If that's the case... stand up." An Aura of depression appeared over Ash and the king looked at him with a satisfied smile. "I thought so... Then my answer is: No, you will have to wait three days to make up for all the blood and strength you've lost during the month... Only then will I reconsider. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sire..." It was not an unreasonable suggestion, and Ash was even surprised that the king only thought that Ash needed three days to recharge, Ash thought he only needed an hour... "Is there something you'd like to ask of me, before I return to my quarters?"

"Yes, there are some things..." King Cyrus paused, wondering if he really wanted to know the answer to his question "Is it true... That the prince of Hoenn has a Dark Aura as a bodyguard?"

"I-..." Ash took in a deep breath, there's no reason to hide it. "Yes, sire, it is true."

"Why?" The king became more and more worried. "It doesn't make sense! Dark Auras don't swear any allegiance to anyone! What in the world does Hoenn think, believing that they can control one!'?"

"My only thought is..." Ash hesitated once again. "I believe that, when the Aura Guardians were defeated, the Dark Auras lost their true purpose... They hunger for Auras, I have heard, and the power of an Aura Guardian's Aura is thousand times as strong as a normal human's. But, you are right, it doesn't make sense for them to swear loyalty to anyone, sire..."

The king nodded, glad that the mercenary seemed to know what he was talking about. "Then what do you think?"

"You can't trust a Dark Aura, that's for sure..." Ash thought a little more, he was tired and weak, making his thought-progress rather slow. "That Dark Aura is planning something, that's for sure... And I don't like it."

"I thought so, too." Cyrus sighed as he looked around the room, he really needed to change the color of the walls, gray made him feel so depressed. "And what about you? The doctor said that it might take a while before you can hold a weapon again."

"Nonsense." Ash answered truthfully with determination in his voice. "Give me a couple of days and I will be ready for battle once again, sire!"

"That's good to know." Cyrus nodded. "But also remember this: The rumor that you have been defeated is probably spreading throughout the four regions right now... You need to be more on your guard, since this will make people believe that you're not as strong as the stories tell about you. So, if there is ever a situation where you needed to choose between saving me and the queen, or the princess... you should choose-"

"I'll save you all." Was Ash's only answer, as he interrupted the king quite rudely. "It is true that you only hired me for the protection of the princess... However, I have no desire to let any innocent people die before me... not again..." He added with a short whisper that the king didn't hear, since Cyrus was too busy looking at the young man with new respect.

"It's easier to say those words than to actually do them..." The king said quietly as he looked, both at the mercenary and the advisor, Brock, who had been quiet this whole time. "There might appear a scenario where it can happen... If that is the case, I want you to know that I won't blame either of you if you only try to save my daughter... I will die happily to know that she will live on."

"My king..." Ash and Brock said simultaneously, confused. "What are you talking about? do you know something that we don't?"

"Of course not!" The king actually laughed, and his words were truthful. "I am just stating that it might happen, and if it does happen, you won't feel any regret afterwards."

"It's a big relief to know that, sire." Ash bowed a little as he got up, he had regained enough power by then to stand up under his own strength. "If you don't mind... May I go get something to eat? A month without food can make you very hungry."

"Of course!" King Cyrus laughed at Ash's very words, until he stopped both himself and the mercenary. "Is that a new scar on your cheek?"

Ash's hand went up, automatically towards the place in question. Brock froze and expected the worst.

"Yeah... I got it from the Dark Aura's partner, my king." Ash answered in a calm tone, he didn't seem to care about it at all.

"I didn't think I'd ever say this..." The king smiled a bit, mostly at the surprised mercenary's face. "It actually suits you. It's proof of how brave a warrior you truly are, who dares to fight to the bitter end... I am sure that the women will flock around you now!"

Ash opened his mouth, to give the king an answer... However, he was at a loss for words as some red appeared over his face. So the mercenary only did a short bow and quickly limped out of the great hall.

King Cyrus watched him in amusement.

"He might be a dangerous mercenary that kills for money..." Brock lifted his head and looked at the king with a confused look. "But he is still an eighteen years old boy..."

"As you say, sire." Brock bowed, wondering if he too should get a scar...

* * *

_A Week Later_

* * *

The two mercenaries' health and strength had been completely restored. If people said that they still carried the mark of defeat over them, they were lying.

As soon as Ash and Pikachu got back into active duty, they raised their self-esteem by ordering a private tournament of Hearthome City's strongest fighters and soldiers... Needless to say, Pikachu and Ash walked out without so much as a scrape on them, while many of the soldiers complained about how they could barely do their duties after that.

So, once again Ash had regained the reputation of: The Strongest Fighter in Sinnoh... However, deep down, he knew that he still had one more opponent to defeat... And he'd like to delay that as much as possible.

Ash had tried looking for a new sword to replace his old one. However, he had never been able to find one... He tried the swords that the soldiers used, but he broke them after three battles and claimed that they were of bad quality... The soldiers, on the other hand, claimed that Ash had tried to split a stone in two with them.

So, right now, Ash walked around with two swords at his waist, both long-swords.

Dawn had, if possible, become even more possessive of the mercenary after he had been bedridden... If it hadn't been for the king's words, it had been very likely that Ash would have been forced to guard the princess when she slept. The young girl was also happy with the situation, after the Hoenn-incident, there hadn't been any talk about setting up any new arranged marriages with any royalty, at least not so long as Ash was still guarding her.

It had been painful for Ash when he met up with his newest friends.

Melody had literary thrown herself at him, screaming about "Saving the lineage" as she tried to remove his clothes... If it hadn't been for Nando's help, who knew what would have happened? They had both been worried about the two mercenaries, as they both wanted to travel with him when his job here was done. Also, neither of them had thought that his scar was misplaced. Nando liked it since it would be a great addition his new stories. Melody liked it because she would try to use any chance she got to kiss his scar to make, according to her, "The pain go away". In other words: The duo were still waiting to leave with him, but they didn't seem to mind it there... Except for the fact that Dawn and Melody still refused to talk to each other, let alone meet each other. Ash still had a hard time understanding why.

The only thing that had invoked rage in the halls of Sinnoh after Ash's accident had actually been that the Hoenn royal family had demanded an apology from Sinnoh for their princess's bodyguard's "Violent behavior"... Dawn had been utterly furious and screamed things about how they should completely annihilate Hoenn from the map and other things she didn't truly mean. Everyone at the castle, who knew the whole story, thought it was going too far... However, both Ash and King Cyrus said that everything was as it should be and wrote a written apology... Even though it didn't say anything about Ash attacking the bodyguard, they only apologized for scaring the "Not fully matured prince", as they put it.

Things had pretty much returned to normal after that. Leona was still on the hunt for someone who resembled Ash as much as possible. Melody still wanting to marry Ash and have his children. Dawn still wanting to spend as much time with Ash as possible. Brock trying to analyze Ash's every move and try to learn something of how to attract women, which pretty much was an exercise in futility. The king always making sure Ash wasn't obvious about the princess's feelings for her bodyguard. In other words: Things had, more or less, started to revolve around the unsuspecting, poor mercenary once again.

But Ash still had something inside of him that he didn't show anyone...

"_Regain your Aura powers, Ash Aaron Ketchum!" It was such a hateful and disappointed voice. "If you want THIS royal family to live for a change, you better grow stronger... The next time we meet, will be the end for you."_

"_I'm certain he was lying..._" Ash thought with a serious look on his face, as he, from time to time nodded at the princess's rambling. "_He couldn't mean it... Even Dark Auras are afraid to start a war, since they too are only mortal..._"

Yet, the feeling didn't want to leave him... He thought of it, even when he was in his own room, trying to sleep.

"Pikachu... pika!" The rodent tried desperately to get his companion's attention. The rodent noticed how Ash had changed, when almost everyone else didn't. "Pika..."

"Huh? What is it, Pikachu?" Ash asked with a slight smile as he closed the book he was reading, it was the latest edition of: The History of Kanto. "Is something troubling you?"

"Pikachu-pi-pi!" The rodent stated stubbornly, not wanting his friend to get away so easily. "Pikachu-pi."

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Ash started to pet the rodent's head, causing the mouse-pokemon to send out an involuntary coo of "Chaa..."

"Come on." He got up and started to remove the arrow quiver from his waist. "It's time to go to sleep."

"Pika." The rodent agreed, knowing that they will need to get up early in the morning, since the princess had riding-lessons... something told Pikachu that he would need to be with the princess as she rode, and that didn't make him happy. "Chu."

The rodent sighed and jumped up onto the bed, he always slept next to Ash... When they were little, Ash had started to hug him in his sleep, but Pikachu had also started to shock him in his sleep... Yet, neither of them wanted to stop sleeping next to the other. After all, if they were separated, they'd have a hard time sleeping-...

"Pika...?" Pikachu thought that Ash looked awfully pale, especially since he was sure that Ash had regained his strength. "Pika-chu?"

Ash didn't hear him, the feeling of darkness and coldness blocked out the little rodent's words...

"_If you want THIS royal family to be alive, for a change..._" Ash's heartbeat increased, begging to whatever possible legendary that it would end. "_Please... No, not yet... not like this..._"

He was close, that much was certain. But he hadn't gotten into the castle yet, Ash still had a chance!

"Pikachu!" The rodent snapped up when he heard Ash's very serious tone. "The castle is under attack, it's the Aura of the same Dark Aura... He is alone, I can't feel his pokemon!"

"Pika!" The rodent felt also his little heart beat faster. Finally they were getting revenge for their defeat!

He followed Ash as he ran out of the room, who was fully armed with both his bow and swords.

"Guard!" A very tired looking soldier looked up from his half-slumber as Ash came running towards him. "A Dark Aura is about to break into the castle! I need every soldier ready, he will come from the north!"

"W-What are you saying, Sir Ash!'?" The guard had a hard time believing him, it was no way this was true. "You are joking, right?"

"Do I LOOK like I am joking!'?" Even Pikachu was surprised at Ash's snappy answer. "Go sound the alarm and relay the orders! The royal family needs to be protected at all cost!"

"Sir! Yes, sir!" The guard, now fully awakened, saluted and started to run towards the commanding officer for the night.

"Listen, Pikachu." The rodent looked at him bravely, ready to face hell itself. "You go and stay with the princess, I need to go and get the king and queen!"

"Pika!" The rodent nodded quickly as he started to sprint for all his little four legs were worth towards the room of the royalty he was charged with.

Ash clenched his fists as anger came over him as he recalled the same thing happening all those years ago... THIS time he wouldn't fail!

He started to run, after he had loaded his bow with an arrow, towards the royal bedchamber which the King and Queen used...

In the middle of his run, horns started to blow and voices shout as the soldiers had been rallied and gathered.

Ash cursed them, he had wanted them to be quiet... Now the Dark Aura knew what was coming, he might even run away...

The mercenary suddenly stopped, he heard the unmistakable sound of a battle... To his left?

He quickly turned and started to run across the hall, hoping to save as many soldiers as possible... However, as soon as he burst through the door with his bow aimed at anything moving... He found them all dead.

Maybe thirty soldiers lay there, it had been a complete slaughter. But what made the mercenary pause was the fact that no Aura Spheres seemed to have been used... No trace of the big impact of an Aura blast anywhere... Did this Paul really take down thirty soldiers with just his sword? In such a short period of time? Ash didn't know if even he could manage this feat...

Another scream.

Ash started to run past the bodies, as none of them were alive, and through another door. He was coming closer and closer towards the quarters of the royals.

"_Don't die..._" He had started to pant more and more... He felt a strange feeling in his stomach, but he ignored it and continued to run.

"Stop!" Ash's eyes widened as the horrible sound of a sword making contact with flesh and bones was heard... especially since the shout had come from the king!

But what took the mercenary by surprise was that when he was a meter from the door to their room, his legs refused to move.

"Are you the one? Are you the Dark Aura?" He could easily hear the king's voice through the door, it was filled with hate and sadness... making him think that the queen had been the victim of Paul's sword.

"Yes." No doubt about it, the sound of his voice made every muscle in Ash's body freeze, so much evil.

"_I need to get in! I need to save him!_" Ash cursed himself, he cursed his legs, his lack of courage... Why couldn't he move? A man's life was on the line in there! "_If I enter... I'm still not able to save the king..._" A voice in the back of his head said, a frightened voice. "_You won't be able to save someone... This is fate, you can't protect someone..._"

"You might kill me, my wife, my soldiers..." Ash's head snapped up as he held his breath at the king's words. "But, can you please spare my daughter? She doesn't have anything to do with this."

"No." Rage started to course through Ash's body, it pushed away the fear of his own life as he started to sprint towards the door, determined on saving both the king and the princess. "I will kill her, just as I will kill that pathetic Aura Guardian who's afraid to use his Aura..."

Right after those words, the sound of metal making contact with flesh was again heard... Where was the mercenary, then? He was standing there with his hand on the door's handle, frozen once again.

"_He didn't lie... He will kill me... He will kill her..._" Ash's body started to shake. "_Damn it! What's wrong with me!'? It's just one man! So what if I die? Move it, fool!'!_"

Yet, no matter how much he screamed at his body, it refused to move... Now he understood how Paul was able to take down all the soldiers. All Auras were different, some are just raw unbridled power, others have the ability to shape their aura into different forms... It seems like this Dark Aura had mastered a rare one, the ability to control his opponent's fear... Everything is based on the Aura, it can be emotion, a stone, a pokemon... But to control a person's fear, it took a very skilled Dark Aura to achieve that...

And now it was Ash's turn to face death. He had been a fool. He should've known that if he could feel Paul's Aura, he would've been able to feel Ash's. The Dark Aura knew that he had been outside the whole time, he put on this little play just to freeze him in his own fear... And it had worked.

The mercenary's body shook as he heard Paul's slow steps on the other side of the door. He didn't hear or see anything than the sound of the black boots on the cold stone floor, making a dull echo with each step they took.

"ASH!" Something that interrupted the Dark Aura's plan happened. The mercenary turned around and saw a beautiful girl with blue hair standing there, the rodent pulling at her leg in vain. "What's happening? Why are you just standing there?"

"_No more..._" Those two words alone pushed away his fear and hesitation. The sound footsteps disappeared, the anger disappeared, the fear disappeared. "_Enough people have died... NO MORE!'!_"

The blunette let out a shriek as the mercenary threw her over his shoulders and started to run to the place where he could feel the highest concentration of soldiers.

"Ash! Wait! What about my mum? Where's dad?" The raven-haired young man clenched his teeth as he continued to run with the girl over his shoulder. "Stop! We can't just leave them there!"

"Quiet!" Dawn gasped at the hard voice that came out from the mercenary. "Please... I promised your father, to save you..."

"No..." Dawn tried her best to wiggle herself free from the mercenary's grip, wanting to run back to them. "NO! You're lying! Let me go! MOM! DAD!"

Ash could see the guards come running towards them, looks of relief on their faces.

"Princess Dawn!" They cried happily, as they made way for Ash and covered him from behind.

"Captain Cynthia!" Dawn was still crying as Ash set her down on the ground. "Protect princess Dawn, and make sure she doesn't run away!"

"A-Alright, Sir Ash." The captain responded. "What about King Cyrus and Queen Johanna?"

"I-... Couldn't save them..." Ash spoke softly. Even if he hadn't frozen in fear out there, he would've been unable to save them anyway... The Dark Aura only delayed their deaths so he could play with the mercenary. "What is your status?"

"We-... We..." Cynthia, who was a professional woman and never faltered, tried to process the news that Ash brought her. "We have secured the castle of any threats. The only way for him to escape is either through here or a window... But there would be a fifteen meters free fall if he decides to take the window-path."

"I understand." Ash nodded, even though he doubted that the Dark Aura hadn't thought of that. "How are the men?"

"The enemy is a Dark Aura." Cynthia stated, even though Ash already knew that. "Some of the men had managed to escape the slaughter... They claim that he used some red magic."

"Their morale?" Ash didn't know what had happened, but Dawn didn't seem to be conscious... It could be that they decided to give her some tranquilizers, or if the shock knocked her out.

"What do you think? They're scared... I am scared." The captain admitted so only Ash could hear. "There is something wrong about this guy... When I felt his presence, I could barely move."

"Are you certain?" The raven haired mercenary looked at the soldiers who stood in the hall. "They don't seem so frightened."

"They are professional, after all..." The captain paused. "Also, their moral boosted when they saw you come with the princess, we had almost thought for certain that we had lost everyone... They also seem to be relieved that you are here..."

"Me?" Ash didn't know what she was talking about, but he felt the Dark Aura coming in their direction.

"I don't know if it's true or not... But the soldiers claim that it's the same Dark Aura that fought you..." Cynthia looked around the hall, her small shield and lance ready for whatever should come around the corner... "And they're feeling relived to have someone who has survived a fight with the Dark Aura, fighting alongside them."

"I see." Ash nodded, soon the Dark Aura would come around the corner... But, with all these people here, he didn't fear him for some reason. He walked to the front.

"He might appear at any moment! Get ready!" The soldiers nodded at him, they numbered about fifty and would put up a good fight against the Dark Aura, even if he used his Aura powers... Three ten-men wide lines had been formed with their shields held out in front of them. At the back of this formation were several men equipped with bows... They, and Ash, would provide the princess the necessary time to escape the castle if the need should arise. "As soon as somebody walks around that corner, I want you to fire at him immediately..."

The archers nodded and tensed their bows.

"This line must not break, regardless of what he throws at us!" The soldiers with shields nodded towards him, as long as Ash stood his ground, they would too. "Take aim!"

Only about two meters until he would come around the corner, the soldiers could even hear his footsteps... They felt afraid, yet not as afraid as they had been before. It seemed as though the presence of Sir Ash inspired them a great deal.

Truth to be told, it was based on Ash's presence, and Ash knew it. The death of King Cyrus and Queen Johanna had awoken some memories in Ash, some very bad memories that he had been trying to keep suppressed... So Ash, subconsciously, leaked out a very powerful Aura... Not as powerful as it used to be, but powerful enough to fend off some of Paul's ability.

True to word, the Dark Aura stopped the moment he would round the corner, making everyone see the tip of his left shoe. They heard some kind of "Tch"-sound coming from that direction as the steps then started to echo in the opposite direction... He then walked away.

"_**Is that all the Aura you can muster...?**_" Ash paled as he felt the Dark Aura's communication break through his mental defense. "_**Pathetic coward...**_"

The soldiers were surprised when Ash suddenly started to run forwards, furious. They thought he would chase the Dark Aura and also started to run with him.

But, as soon as they rounded the corner... they didn't see anything...

He had already left the castle.

* * *

The coming week was a sad one for whole of Sinnoh. It had always been their tradition to give their goodbyes to the deceased the day after their demise... That's why there had been a grand bonfire for the late king and queen of Sinnoh. Countless people had been there, from nobles to farmers, even the royal family of Johto were in attendance... although, their visit was more out of respect than actual sorrow.

The coming days were cruel to Dawn Berlitz. She had been crowned Queen of Sinnoh the day after her parents' death, not making it a particularly pleasant memory.

But the girl was strong, despite her appearance. Dawn had locked herself in her own room the whole day after her parents' funeral, not even letting Ash or Leona enter. But, when the day had passed, she came out and appeared to look like a real Queen. She had actually listened to all the lessons she had gotten before, it was only now that she started to use them.

It seemed as though she didn't blame anyone for the deaths of her mother and father, except the murderer himself, but that made Ash only blame himself even more.

Brock had done his utmost to help the new queen rule her country as well as he could, sometimes not even stopping to sleep for several days. He had moved from being the royal advisor to the Queen's right hand man, always knowing what was best for the country... it seemed as though Cyrus had taken that into account and trained him just for that purpose.

Leona had also done her best, even going so far as to give up her chase for the perfect man at the moment, she was always there when the Queen needed help and didn't hesitate to help her in whatever she needed, despite Dawn's reluctance sometimes.

It seemed as though Ash was the only one who didn't know what to do, as he mostly sat in his room with his head down. If people thought he had been quiet before, they would've said he was almost mute now.

"Pathetic coward..." Ash muttered to himself, as there didn't seem to be anyone close. "That bastard..."

"Trouble! Trouble!" Ash's head snapped up at the sound of Brock voice, the advisor bursting into his room without even bothering to knock. "We have trouble!"

"What? What's happened!'?" Ash quickly got up and drew his sword, fearing another attack had happened.

"The king and queen of Hoenn are dead, and the prince has declared war!" Brock Harrison screamed for all his worth. "They have declared war on Sinnoh!"

* * *

It was busy in the royal hall of Sinnoh. Dawn didn't know up or down as she heard people discuss Sinnoh's and Hoenn's military might, the possibility of getting help from allies, the time it would take to support and arm the troops, and so on.

"Everybody! Leave!" They looked at the young queen, all looking confused. "I need to gather my thoughts... please?"

"Of course, Queen Berlitz." Was their only answer as all the ministers and advisors bowed their heads deeply and walked out, leaving Dawn, Brock, Cynthia and Leona alone in the hall.

"Do you want us to take care of it, my queen?" Brock asked after a while. "The captain knows our military the best amongst us and I know a great deal about our supplies for the kingdom, you don't need to force yourself."

"Thank you, Sir Brock." Dawn had even had him knighted for all his long efforts, with no objections from any party. One big proof of her change was how she always seemed to use the proper honorifics when addressing others... Except for three people. "Leona, would you mind giving me some tea?"

"Of course, pri-... I mean, queen Dawn." Leona blushed slightly at her obvious mistake and did a quick curtsy, but Dawn only sent her a quick, sad smile.

But, as soon as she was about to leave, the doors of the hall opened and showed in a man and a rodent.

"Ash! Pikachu!" The new queen immediately felt better when she saw them. "Why are you dressed like that?"

Pikachu looked normal, as if he didn't hide anything. However, Ash looked the complete opposite. His black pants and brown shirt were still on... But he wore black boots instead of his usual shoes that he used when he walked inside the castle. He was also covered in a big, brown cloak with a hood. But what confused Dawn the most was that he was fully armed as he usually kept the bow in his room when he was inside the castle.

His face also seemed to show that he had something that he had to say, but really didn't want to.

"Dawn Berlitz, Queen of Sinnoh." The two of the knelt, Pikachu seemed to look equally confused as the rest of them. "It is with a heavy heart that I bring forth these news."

"What news?" Dawn smiled at him, thinking he was putting on some kind of sketch to make her feel better.

"I-... I hereby break my contract with the royal family of Sinnoh." Ash took a deep breath. "I also relinquish any titles given to me by said family."

There was silence after those words. Brock, Leona, Cynthia and Dawn didn't know what to think when he said those words... and it seems as Pikachu didn't know either.

"Piachu! Pika-pi! Chu!" The rodent got up from his bowing position and started to scream at his companion, who still looked down at the ground on one knee. "Pikachu-pi!"

"I didn't tell you because I knew this would happen..." Ash muttered to the floor as he didn't even want to look at anyone in the room. "I stand by with my words, I have given them a lot of thought."

"What are you thinking, Ash!'?" Brock didn't even use "Sir" in front, showing how shocked and mad he was. "We are at war! How can you abandon Sinnoh during this grave time!'?"

"Wars are for soldiers..." Everyone could see how much Ash hated to do this. "I am a simple mercenary... I have no allegiance to anyone."

"Just say that you are afraid to fight!" Now even Cynthia snapped. It wasn't an odd outburst if you thought of the fact she was willing to sacrifice anything for Sinnoh. "I have heard the stories about you! You have helped in war, not just in times of peace!"

"This won't be like any other war!" Ash got up from his kneeling-position and glared at Cynthia. "Hoenn will use Dark Auras! Have you ever fought one? When they are serious, they can obliterate twenty soldiers in one move!"

"You are afraid, after all!" Cynthia argued back, nobody had ever seen the Captain of Sinnoh and the mercenary fight with each other. "Just because the enemies are stronger, you run away?"

"You will die in vain!"

"I will die for what I believe!"

"Stop glorifying death as-"

"Enough!" The queen's powerful voice broke through their bickering and Ash and Cynthia became quiet immediately. "Stop fighting..."

Any man, even Ash, could see that the young queen was about to cry... But she didn't do it, instead she got up and, with a quivering voice, said.

"We can't deny Sir Ash, knight of Sinnoh, his freedom..." She gulped down her sadness and continued. "Are you certain that you will go through with this?"

"I am." Ash spoke shortly, still glaring at the captain.

"Then I hereby remove your knighthood! You are now only known as: Ash, the mercenary!" Even if Dawn tried, a teardrop couldn't help but escape from her eye. "Your contract with Sinnoh is also hereby broken! You are... free to go wherever you want..."

"I am sorry, my queen." Ash bowed as he had calmed himself down. "But this is no fight for someone that's not from this region... This is not a fight for a mercenary."

"Leave, please." The queen turned around and didn't want to face him.

"I understand... I don't need to get paid..." Ash spoke shortly as he nodded quickly towards them. "We are leaving, Pikachu... Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Everyone in the hall was surprised by the rodent's outburst. "Pikachu-chu pika!"

"What-... What are you saying...?" Now it was Ash's turn to look as though someone had hit him in the head with a mallet. "Why would you want to stay?'!"

"Pikachu! Pika!" The rodent declared as he ran towards the Queen and placed himself at her feet. "Pika!"

"We are not running away!" Ash shouted back, feeling very betrayed. "Get this: We are mercenaries, we work and kill for money! You have just tried to glorify the word to make you feel better! We are still not better than your everyday murderer!"

"Pika!"

"You..." Ash got a dark look as he turned around, started to walk away. "You can't just 'quit' being something you don't want to be... I have tried..."

"Si-... Ash! Wa-..." Leona was stopped by Brock's hand as he watched the back of the strong fighter disappear through the door. "No, Leona. He has made his choice... Let him go."

Pikachu looked up towards the young queen. He cursed his former partner as he saw the tears in her eyes.

He felt sad and furious. He had known Ash long enough to know that he wouldn't run straight back to Kanto and regain his Aura powers, he won't miraculously appear in the battle against Hoenn and win it for them... He was just running away because of the fear that the same thing that happened all those years ago would happen again.

And that would be the last time anyone in the hall ever saw Ash, the mercenary...

**End of chapter 17**

* * *

**Not a good ending? Yeah, I know... But who knows what'll happen later?  
**

**By the way... _NOTE!_** **I've decided the numbers of chapter this story will have... It will go as far as 21 chapters! So, you better vote on the poll now, or else it might be too late!**

**_QUESTION_: What do YOU think will happen in the next chapter? (_hint: This COULD be a trick-question)_... Who knows? Maybe what you write, will actually happen ;)**

**It's better to review later than never and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

_**Happy New Year!/Gott Nytt År!**_

**R&R!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Good morning/evening/night, whatever it might be for you!  
Here's the eighteenth chapter, but let's take a short summary from the previous:**

**Paul Shinji, the same Dark Aura that defeated Ash, infiltrated the castle and killed the King and Queen of Sinnoh, making Dawn Johanna Berlitz the new ruler and Queen of Sinnoh... However, shortly after the death of the previous rulers, Sinnoh got hold of a piece of information... And that said: The king and queen of Hoenn is dead, making Drew Shu the new king, and Hoenn has declared war on Sinnoh!  
Ash, knowing that it's a lost battle, breaks his contract and decides to leave... But, his partner since sixteen years, Pikachu, refuses to go and stays with the Queen!  
Will Ash get back to his senses and return, even though he know that death is certain? Or will he start all over, alone?**

**A new year and new opportunities, huh? Only this chapter will tell... Or, will it...?**

**I hope you had a good holiday, and I wish your coming year to be even more successful! But let's get on with the story, shall we?**

**I hope you'll enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!**

* * *

"Fools..." The black haired mercenary looked down on the ground with a disappointed face. "Just because I lost once, it doesn't mean that I've become weaker..."

It had been three days since he left the royal castle of Sinnoh. He had walked fast as he tried to get away from the feeling of disgust that he felt for himself. But, instead of it disappearing with each step he took, it just increased.

He had noticed how his reputation had taken a great turn too... Ever since he lost again Paul, the Dark Aura, many thought it was the right time to challenge him. He hadn't been really a saint during the time before he came to the work for the Berlitz, he had made a lot of enemies that wanted to kill him more than ever.

So, that's why he stood there. Surrounded by dead bodies with his two swords dripping with a red liquid. They had tried to surround him and finish him off quickly... However, they had only been farmers' children that wanted fame. They knew nothing about fighting and some had probably never wielded a sword before... Yet, they had challenged him.

The young man in the brown cloak shifted his shoulders slightly, he had become rather stiff in his back. It was probably due to the fact that it was starting to get colder...

Ash traveled south for the moment, it was the only way to go since Sinnoh lay as far north as you could get... He knew nothing about where he was supposed to go now, since he had made no plans after he had released his titles... Right now, the young man was at the border of the Sinnoh and Kanto regions, in a place people called "No man's land"... It used to serve as a battleground for the regions, several years ago. But now it was simply a place where illegal groups and poor farmers lived, as the borders were heavily guarded by soldiers from the different regions.

The mercenary let out a deep sigh as he looked at his two, new weapons... What a disappointment they were... They had been chipped, both of them, in the edges after such a light fight...

"_Sword..._" Ash closed his eyes slowly and breathed out, sheathing the weapons as he finished drying them. "_When the sword broke, all my promises I made to it also disappeared... I apologize, Nando, Miss Melody..._"

It was probably better this way... He doubted he'd be able to teach Melody about the Aura anyway, she should just go home to the island, the main land isn't a place for a Temple Maiden... But Nando... Ash could only hope that he didn't felt too betrayed and decided to go back to the path of an assassin...

As he walked, he could hear the sound of a town close by... He didn't know the name of it, since he didn't bother to remember such things... But the young man knew that it was a town where people who were traveling between regions could stop...

"Stop it! Give it back!" The unmistakable sounds of children playing... The mercenary looked towards the little clearing that the sound came from, along with the noise of the busy little society.

He was about to round a tree, when a little child ran straight into him, falling to the ground after colliding with the cloaked man.

"Are you alright, kid?" The child looked up, with eyes wide as saucers, towards the mercenary. He looked frightened, but could you blame him? Ash was slightly taller than average, he had rather long and wild black hair and hard eyes... His clothes were also stained with blood.

"Y-Yes..." The little child with tattered clothes and short, brown hair stuttered as he looked around quickly, probably for his mother. "I-... I'm sorry for bumping into you, sir!"

"Don't worry about it..." Ash walked lazily past him as he put his hand on the boy's head and tousled his hair, not caring about his reaction.

"Hey..." Ash looked at the boy with rather hard eyes for a moment... "Why are you following me?"

"I... I have lost my dad..." The mercenary froze as he saw tears form in the little child's eyes, he hated it when people cried... "I can't seem to find him!"

"Don't worry about it, kid! He probably just left you-..." Ash got a painful expression on his face as he realized how a child would take those words... True to word, the little boy started to cry out as tears flowed down his eyes.

"Daddy! I want my daddy!" Ash looked around frantically... He had arrived in the outskirts of the small town, so there were people waling around... However, they all seemed to be more interested in their own business than a crying child, as they didn't even so much as bother to look their way. "Where's dad!'?"

"Alright, it's gonna be alright!" Ash quickly got down on one knee and put his hand on the boy's head again, looking as though he were trying to pet him. Ash had never been good with taking care of kids, since he refused to try it out... That's why he could only do what he knew, and that was pretending that the child was a baby-pokemon. "Don't cry anymore, it will all work out."

The stroking of the boy's head seemed to calm him down as his loud cries turned to silent whimpers. But Ash knew that it still wasn't enough... So that's why he took the boy and lifted him up into the air, only to place him on his shoulders.

"Don't worry, we'll find him." Ash said that with his reassuring voice, calming the child down further. "Let's go."

"A-... Alright!" Ash smiled slightly, something he hadn't done since he left the castle. It felt somehow good to help somebody in need... But the biggest reason was the feeling to have someone sit on your shoulders, they had been awfully cold since Pikachu decided to leave him...

* * *

"Chu!" The little, yellow rodent sneezed in a cute way, wondering if somebody was thinking of him-... Or rather, how much his partner thought about him. Pikachu surely missed PikaPi, it pained him that they had to go separate ways... But PikaPi needed to learn that running away wouldn't solve anything. If only PikaPi wasn't so obsessed with the past, he'd see that living in the present wasn't as dark as he figured it was... Pikachu was sure that even Lu-

"Is something wrong, Sir Pikachu?" The rodent looked at the man, who had interrupted his inner monologue, with a tilted head. "You seem to be deep in thought."

"Pikachu, Pika-pi pika!" The rodent muttered to itself and crossed its little paws, saying "_Well, then you shouldn't interrupt me, you darn skirt-chasing advisor!_"

Brock who, of course, couldn't understand a word of what the rodent said, figured out that he probably said something similar to: "Don't worry, I only have a lot on my mind."

"I see, Sir Pikachu." Brock nodded with an important look as he returned to look through his papers which contained numbers of Sinnoh's economy. "I was honestly surprised that Sir As-... I mean, Ash, left us like that... But I can't really say that I blame him. Honestly, I too feel like getting away from this war... But I can't do that, I owe it to the former king and queen to take care and help their daughter..." The royal advisor smiled sadly as he noticed how the rodent had already left the room, probably not wanting to be reminded of his companion anymore.

"Ash..." Brock rubbed his eyes tiredly as he opened another letter. "Why the Croagunk did you do something like that...?"

* * *

"How about the eastern coast?" The rodent quietly sneaked into the room where the blond captain stood discussing with Byron, who seemed to have information for her. "What's the number over there?"

"We have about two hundred soldiers guarding that one, captain..." Byron hesitated. "But if we decide to withdraw them from there, our border to the east could easily be overrun by Johto or Kanto..."

"That's a chance we have to take, Sir Byron." Cynthia swept back some bangs of her golden hair which got in her eyes. "We need every soldier that we can get... But we can't rely on mercenaries..."

It seemed she added the last part when she noticed Pikachu, but she didn't show any sign wanting to look at him. The rodent didn't blame her though. PikaPi and she had left on very bad terms... But Pikachu knew that PikaPi and the captain were very similar, yet different in their own ways... They were like two sides of a very dirty and damaged coin.

"Call for every single soldier, that are stationed at the north and eastern borders, First Lieutenant." Cynthia ordered with a firm voice. "Take half of the ones that guard the south and have them travel here."

"What about the farmers and peasants?" Byron asked with a hesitant voice, it was a way they could gather more soldiers... But it would also cause an uproar. "Should we invoke Forced Conscription?"

"No..." Cynthia shook her head with a determined look. "A warrior that is not willing to fight would do us about as much good as a sword that's not sharp... However, do tell every farmer that we're looking for any willing young men, women or pokemon that are ready to take up arms for their region. But we aren't going to force them to join."

"Yes, captain!" The brown haired old man saluted as he turned around and walked quickly out of the hall, every minute was very valuable right now.

The blond captain looked around in the room, she had realized her previous words when Pikachu entered and prepared to apologize... But the rodent had already left the room.

* * *

"Hello? Little-kid-who-isn't-allowed-to-tell-his-name-to-strangers's dad? Where are you...?" Ash felt more and more depressed as he slowly realized that this wasn't getting anywhere... No matter how many people they 'asked'... Ash had actually grabbed them and almost scared them to death since the first few had ignored him... they couldn't get any logical answers any time soon...

It seemed as though the boy wasn't from this town. He had told him that he was traveling through here with his father, and his dad had probably gotten lost... Ash found it rather amusing to see that the little child refused to admit that he was actually the one who was lost, and not the dad.

They sat down on a bench to take a short break. The kid looked very intensely at the mercenary, causing Ash to feel rather uncomfortable.

"What?" Only Ash could be as blunt as to directly ask what the problem was, even though the person he was addressing was an innocent child. "Is there a problem?"

"You are strange." The young man froze for a short moment at the boy's words, only to unknowingly activate his 'Aura of Depression', which he had mastered skillfully during his time in the castle.

"Thank you..." Ash lowered his head and supported it with his hands, sighing. "And why am I strange?" He tried to ignore the most obvious answers.

"Well... You have hurt your face... But you don't look that old!" Ash felt a little better, that the kid admitted that he didn't look old... "I've never seen a thirty years old with those kind of wounds!"

"'Thirty'? You little-..." Ash gritted his teeth, it seemed as though his mood had become a lot easier to turn. "For the record... I am eighteen, soon to be nineteen..." It didn't help that the boy's eyes widened at those words. "Also, it's not unusual for people to have wounds on their bodies in these times..."

"Not only that!" The little child did not seem to give up, as it was his duty to prove that the mercenary was strange. "You look scary, big, violent, dangerous, murderous and you seem like a person who enjoys killing Skittys!"

"Is..." A big sweat-drop and a look of shock had appeared on different places of Ash's head. "Is... That all...?"

"No..." The boy seemed to think a little more. "You look rather scary... But you somehow emit a... feeling... that makes you not feel dangerous!"

"I... see..." Ash didn't know how he could interpret those words... And why did the boy suddenly sound like a grown-up? "Well, let's continue to look for your father, shall we?"

"There's no need!"

* * *

The rodent stopped suddenly as it heard something... Yes, it was impossible to mistake what he heard... It was the sound of a young girl crying.

The rodent opened the door, and stuck its little head inside the room of the new queen.

"O-Oh, Pikachu..." Dawn quickly dried her eyes as she noticed that someone was watching her. "What's wrong? Is there something I can do for you?"

"Pika..." The rodent sighed as he jumped up onto her big bed and walked towards her. There he started to poke her with his paw as he looked rather strict. "Pika-chu, Pik pika pi chu."

"I'm sorry, Pikachu..." Dawn smiled sadly as her eyes still shined slightly from the tears. "I can't really understand you very well..."

"Pika..." The rodent sighed once again as he let the queen pick him up.

"Don't worry, Pikachu. It will be alright." Dawn assured him as they walked out of the room and towards the throne room. "We will be holding a meeting now, care to join?"

"Pika!" The rodent didn't actually care much for planning and such... Since that had always been PikaPi's job… Pikachu was a warrior. But he somehow felt that Queen Dawn needed to hold onto something right now... and he actually enjoyed it when she held him like that. "Pikachu-pi."

"Really? Good." Dawn smiled as she pushed open the last door, after nodding calmly to a couple of guards that saluted her. "Let's get started then."

Pikachu did recognize most of the people that were in the room.

Brock Harrison, the royal advisor and queen's right hand. He looked tired, as though he hadn't gotten much sleep since Hoenn declared war on Sinnoh. He was walking funny as he walked in circles, trying to keep himself awake.

Cynthia Shirona, the very good looking captain of Sinnoh's armies. She also looked rather tired, but it was probably more out of boredom, waiting in a room filled with 'Quill-Pushers', as she had once called them. She was fingering the handle of her sword as her gaze went back and forth around the room, clearly waiting for something.

Leona Yumomi, the chambermaid of the Queen of Sinnoh. She stood there ready with a red mantle in hand, that the new queen had been rather reluctant to wear and often misplaced it. But it seemed as though the chambermaid had made it her duty to have the queen carry it, as she stood there ready to 'ambush' her.

Volkner Denzi, the First Sergeant of Sinnoh. He sat on the floor and leaned against his big two-handed axe, as he looked at the other people in the hall with his blue eyes, running a hand through his short, blond hair. He was currently working as the captain of Sinnoh's assistant and followed her to every meeting she went to, though he mostly just sat there quietly and didn't say a word.

There were some other people too, but those were only some of the guards... Of course, there were a few noblemen there that Pikachu didn't bother to remember the names of... But it was most likely that they were only there to try and get some points from the Queen of Sinnoh.

"Ah, Queen Dawn!" Brock, who seemed to be filled with new energy as the blunette entered the room. "It's a pleasure to see you again, and I thank you for coming!"

"It's alright, Sir Brock." Dawn smiled. If you looked closely, you could also see bags under the queen's eyes. "I need to do whatever I can right now, no matter how little difference it makes."

"Don't say that, Queen Dawn." Cynthia knelt down, quickly followed by Volkner. "Your words inspire the people to fight, that makes a great difference!"

"Thank you, captain." The queen tried to move away discretely as Leona had sneaked up behind her, but it was of no use... The chambermaid managed to fasten the mantle on Dawn, making her look even more regal. "Should we get started, we have little time after all."

"Of course, Lady Dawn." Brock nodded eagerly as he pulled out a big map and placed it on the table.

Even though Pikachu couldn't read, he could easily see that this was a map over Sinnoh. He could recognize that big mountain-chain anywhere, since he and PikaPi had traveled along it for two weeks in the past...

"As you can see, we're here." The rodent understood that as he pointed to Hearthome City, the capital of Sinnoh. "We are on the east side of the mountain, which will serve as a wall for Hoenn's attack, since they are coming from the west."

"Then that's a good thing." Dawn quickly spoke, any good news was well received, whatever they may be.

"Yes... and no..." Cynthia got a grim look over her face as eyed the map. "The mountain will truly serve as a wall for us, since it's impossible to cross over it with a vast army... However, it's a double-edged sword... It will force them to go around to the south... But it will also force us to do the same."

"I still can't see the problem, captain Cynthia..." Dawn scratched her chin, only to earn a disapproving glare from the chambermaid. "It only means that it doesn't give them as much opportunities to cross over to Sinnoh, right?"

"Indeed, it should be so..." The captain sighed, not knowing how to break the news to her. "It would be the case... If we had gotten the news in time."

"What are you talking about, captain?" Dawn didn't like the tone of her voice, it sounded too serious. She subconsciously squeezed the rodent a little tighter.

"Hoenn had already started to mobilize their armies just as we got the news... I wouldn't be too surprised if they were loading them onto their ships right now." Cynthia scratched the back of her head, she did that out of habit when she felt nervous. "The soldiers to the east and south still haven't arrived here, so we can't leave yet... We need to have the army gathered before we can do anything."

"Cynthia... What are you saying...?" Dawn was too shocked to even use the captain's title, she just couldn't let this happen. "Are you saying... That we should just abandon Canalave City?"

"If it only was that much, my queen." Cynthia sighed and felt more and more like an evil person. "There isn't enough time to both wait for all the soldiers and travel to the west coast. We can't stop them if our army is divided, we need our full strength... According to my calculations, our best chances would be to hold them west of Eterna City, that's about as far as we can get."

"What... What about Twinleaf Town, Sandgem Town, Jubilife City, Oreburgh City and Floaroma Town? We can't just leave them!" Dawn was desperate, so many people would die or become captured and other horrible things that she didn't even want to think about. "Hoenn wouldn't let a single citizen escape unharmed!"

"Of course, we realize that." Cynthia nodded with the grim look back on her face. "We won't let them lay a hand of the people of Sinnoh... So that's why we're using the soldiers, that guard the western border, to help out with the evacuation... It's going to take a lot of work, but it will save thousands of lives... However, we can't be sure if everyone will want to leave their home."

"Then leave them be." Dawn looked at Brock, she was shocked at his blunt comment, and he noticed it. "We need to save everyone we can... So we shouldn't just try to convince those who refuse to leave. Most people have already gotten word that we won't be able to help western Sinnoh, so they're already making their way towards the east... The soldiers will help those who have trouble getting there themselves, then they'll meet up with the rest of the army at Eterna City."

"I... Don't like this..." Was the only thing Dawn could say. "Are you certain that there is no other way? Have you tried to contact Hoenn in any way?"

"Of course we have, Lady Dawn..." Brock got a dark look on his face. "We sent three different messengers... And only their heads came back to us..."

"No..." Even if it was a war, killing a messenger was a thing that was taboo... Not that Hoenn would care about it anyway, since they pretty much had every region against them. "That's... That's horrible!"

"Indeed it is, Queen Dawn." Cynthia nodded, suppressing her anger. "There is no other way... Either we lose a couple of towns, or we lose the whole war and region to Hoenn..."

The beautiful blunette only sunk down into a chair in chair, not caring for the throne a couple of meters away. Pikachu was still in her arms as she hugged him even tighter, making him let out concerned "Chuu"s.

"There is also one other thing we need to discuss with you, Queen Dawn." Brock walked up to her as he cleared his throat. "We are planning on having you escorted to Sunnyshore City. There we will have you wait for the outcome of the war, and if we lose you'll be transported to Kanto so that the enemies can't-"

"I refuse." Her reply took everyone in the room by surprise. "I'm also a part of the people of Sinnoh, I won't run and leave them to Hoenn's soldiers."

"But, my queen!" Brock cried out in despair, it seemed as though she didn't understand the situation. "You can't wait in Hearthome City for the outcome! It's too dangerous and-"

"Wait here?" Dawn sent him a slight smile. "Oh, I'm not going to sit here and wait. I am supposed to be the ruler of Sinnoh... So I can't just sit in a castle and wait for the outcome of the war which my soldiers are battling in. No, Sir Brock. I am going along with the army, and I won't retreat as long as there is a soldier that is still willing to fight."

"Queen Dawn!" Brock was angry, very angry. "It is too dangerous out there and I highly-"

"Give it up, Sir Brock." Cynthia said with a calm tone as she had a light smile on her face. "You can't order the queen of Sinnoh to do something that she doesn't want to do. Besides, I think it'll boost the soldiers' morale a great deal if she's there... But you will be in the behind the front lines, and you won't do anything stupid... Alright?"

"Of course." Dawn smiled, glad to know that Cynthia supported her. "So what now?"

"We will immediately start traveling towards Estera City..." Brock hesitated, still pondering if he should allow it or not... "But first, we need to send a message throughout all of Sinnoh about the evacuation... Also, the meeting-place for all of those who wish to take to arms and fight for their region."

* * *

"What do you mean by 'There's no need'?" Ash asked with a big frown, feeling rather annoyed at the kid. "You do want to find him, right?"

"Yeah!" The mercenary suddenly had the urge to strangle the kid. But he decided, instead, to listen to him. "But there's no need for that anymore!"

"And... why's that?" Ash did his best to smile... Although, his forced smiles looked more like he wanted to torture you.

"Because he's right there!" The boy jumped down from the wooden bench they were sitting on and started to run towards a man with brown hair with flecks of gray. "Thanks for helping me find him, sir!"

The young warrior only lifted his right hand in response to the boy's energetic waving. Ash felt great annoyance, that they would find the boy's dad just like that... and he didn't even get paid! He could barely call himself a mercenary now...

"That was a waste of time..." The man with raven black hair muttered as he closed his eyes and prepared to rest.

"_What NOW?_" A vein appeared at the back of Ash's head as he felt something pull lightly at the legs of his pants. "_I swear, I'll kill somebody soon if this continues..._"

He opened his eyes and spotted another child... But this one was completely different from the one before. It was a small girl. She was probably around four or five years old... She had the same hair color like Ash, raven black, and it reached to the mid back. He could see from her clothes that she was far from an ordinary peasant's child... She wore a blue dress which had some dust on it, she had probably fallen onto the ground recently. The girl had a rather round face, but kids usually had it at that age... It felt as though Ash had seen her somewhere before... Although, all children looked the same, according to him anyway. Her blue eyes reminded him of something too, but he couldn't figure it out...

"What do you want?" His annoyance came back as the girl didn't seem to want to stop tugging at his pants' leg... She spooked him a bit, especially since she didn't stop starting at him as she pulled on his leg... "Don't tell me you lost your father too..."

"You found his daddy." She had a childish voice, yet it seemed to lack a little emotion that should be in a kid's voice. "Right?"

"Yes, I found him." Ash sighed as he took the girl's hand, stopping her from tugging on him . He felt some strange and familiar feeling wash over him... But he ignored it for the moment. "You lost yours too?"

The girl nodded slowly, her eyes still not diverting from Ash's... It actually made Ash a little happy, that she looked at him with no sign of fear. Most people would look away or down towards the ground as soon as their eyes met... But this girl, she showed no fear of him. Yet, she still seemed smart enough to know danger when she saw it... A very strange girl indeed.

"What's your name?" The young man decided that this was the best way to get started. "You've a name, right?"

"Elizabeth." She didn't seem proud nor ashamed of her name, it was as though she barely recognized it...

"Alright then." Ash got up from the bench and let go of the girl's hand. "I'm starting to get used to this anyway... When was the last time you saw your father?"

"I've never met him..." Ash frowned a bit, was she an orphan? No... Then she wouldn't have those expensive-looking clothes...

"What do you mean?" The mercenary looked down at the girl that, for the first time, looked down towards the ground with a sad expression on her face.

"I-..." She never had time to finish her sentence as she seemed to have spotted something behind Ash that made her silent.

"Riley..."

In half a second, Ash had turned around and had his hands on both his swords... But the moment he saw the human which spoke those words, his heart felt like it was crushed under a giant hammer and then thrown into the flames.

Those blue eyes that reminded so much of the little girl's... That long, green hair that made many men hypnotized... Years of memories appeared in Ash's head which he had tried to suppress, memories that hurt so much to remember that the only thing you could do was to forget them...

But it was truly Aya Kyo, younger sister to the poison master and mayor of Fuschia City Koga Kyo... And mother of Elizabeth Kyo, whose father was Riley Gen, the Aura Guardian... Ash's former teacher...

The late teen and middle aged woman stood there and looked at each other, both feeling out of breath. None of them knew what to say to the other, yet they had different reasons for it.

"I..." Ash tensed up as the woman started to speak. "I... am sorry. I mistook you for someone."

"Riley..." Was the only thing that managed to leave Ash's lips, as he continued to stare at the woman.

"Y-Yes..." It seemed as though Aya still mourned her lover's death, as she got a sad look over her face. "But it's impossible... He's been dead for four and a half years now... I apologize."

"No..." Ash shook his head, he refused to hear that last word. "Don't... Don't apologize, it's alright..."

"Thank you." The older brunette smiled motherly towards him, causing Ash to feel the sadness that he felt built up in his throat. "You really do remind me of him, actually. The same hair color, similar hair-style, build... The only thing that is really different are your eyes..."

"I..." Ash's hands started to shake slightly for unknown reasons, he still had a hard time talking. "I-... I... need to go... I'm sorry...!"

He then started to run for all his worth in the opposite direction from where they stood, not daring to look back once.

"_Idiot! I'm an idiot!_" Ash cursed himself over and over as he felt something wet escape from his eyes, he had already left the little town. "_I should have realized! The child's aura... It's just like Riley's! Damn it!_"

He suddenly tripped over a stone and came crashing onto the ground. He lost his breath for a few seconds...

_"Ash..." His mother hesitated. "This is Riley Gen..."_

"Damn it..." Ash clenched his fist as he lay on the ground, the tears starting flow freely from his eyes.

_"I was a friend of your father." Riley helped her a bit. "I'm only here for a visit."_

"Why...?" Years of pain that he had held in was being released now. He smashed his right fist into the ground as he tried to get up. "Why...?'!"

_"Ash..." Riley spoke after a while. "Your training to become a Guardian of the __Aura has begun..."_

"Stop..." Ash breathed heavily, his chest hurt so bad... What was this? This was worse than any wound he had ever got... "Stop it..."

_"Kneel." After Ash had obeyed hi__m, Riley took out his sword. "By my authority as a Guardian of the Aura." He touched Ash's left shoulder with it. "I hereby declare you as: Sir Ash Aaron Ketchum, Guardian of the Aura." He finally touched Ash's right shoulder. "Arise, protector of the Aura!"_

"Enough..." Ash got up on weak legs, so many flashbacks went through his head that the tears just kept flowing, not showing any signs of stopping. It felt like a dark hole had appeared in his chest. "No more..."

_"That sounds good." Ash nodded with a calm smile on his face, the sun wa__s just about to set over the mountain. "I would say that we should rest here for the night, I'm not that fond of climbing the mountains in the dark..."_

_"I agree..." Riley laughed a bit and looked towards the horizon; the sun had now gone down. "Happy birthday, Ash."_

_"Really?"_

_The man nodded at the, now 14 year old boy, and then started to laugh. Soon, the pokemon and the boy had joined in with his laughter and the noise was so loud that they scared away several Pidgeys._

"Please..." Ash gasped for air as he took short breaths and gripped his chest, when would it stop? Why did it feel like this? "Riley..."

_"Ash, if we never meet again..." He looked at the boy, feeling tears build up in his eyes. "Please, tell Aya that I love her... and live your life to the fullest!"_

"STOP IT!'!" Ash roared as he brought out his two swords and started to smash them against a large boulder to the side of the rode. "Stop! Stop! STOP! NO MORE!'!"

The swords broke in two almost immediately and he sunk down onto his knees at the same time, gripping the hilts hard.

"I'm sorry..." Ash had started to cry slightly as tears still rolled down his cheeks. "I'm... so sorry... I'm..."

He continued like that for several minutes, apologizing to an already dead person for no specific reason... But he couldn't stop. He didn't feel better when he did that, but he still kept doing it.

But soon, his tears ran out. He got up from his position and threw away the broken swords, his eyes half-closed. He didn't feel any shame for crying, nor was he proud of it... But it did feel as though a big burden had been lifted from his heart.

He continued to walk slowly along the road, not caring of his destination... His eyes were still slightly blinded from the tears.

Suddenly, he felt eight sharp objects pierce the back of his shirt, as he started to fall towards the ground from the impact... He had, after eight years, lowered his guard...

* * *

_Outskirts __of Eterna City... A week after Hoenn had declared war on Sinnoh..._

* * *

They army was standing to the west of Eterna City. The distance between them and the city was about the distance a grown man could run in full armor, making it possible to retreat if it became necessary. A few soldiers had muttered things about wanting to fight inside of the city, to give them an advantage... However, the experienced soldiers knew that it was impossible to fight in such a small city with such a big army, it would only put them to ruin. Eterna had no walls, it was as simple as that. It was a trade-point for people, not a castle... There was no need to destroy peoples' homes for no reason.

Besides, they had the perfect ground for battle.

The terrain was clear of any trees or bushes, and barely had any grass. It was a barren stretch of land covered in dirt.

The battlefield was such that it was flat on either side of the field but there was a depression which formed a sort of bowl-like shape in the ground... The terrain on both sides was such that it was near impossible to transport any type of siege weapon, which would make this a battle of brute strength alone.

The battleground was even for both sides, so they knew that Hoenn wouldn't refuse to fight here since none of them had a disadvantage... The only factors that mattered here were strength, numbers and courage. It would be a straight-on charge from both sides.

Hoenn had yet to arrive, but the scouts said that they had landed to the north of Canalave City... It was both surprising and a relief to the men. They seemed to avoid making too much contact with the cities and towns, probably in fear of losing any men...

However, the news about Floarama Town's destruction came as a heavy and expected blow for the people of Sinnoh... Luckily, there hadn't been any people left there, but they had still torn it to the ground. But the soldiers didn't falter, it was more likely that the event fueled their anger and hate towards Hoenn.

In a big tent, among many small ones, was a certain blue-haired queen.

She had let her hair down with not so much as a single ribbon adorning it. She wore a silver-armor that made her chest stand out rather awkwardly, but Brock convinced her that it would do the men good. The breastplate was very expensive-looking as it had the engraving of Dialga and Palkia, both of them facing each other. She wore some heavy leather pants, while over them were knee-pads and a chain mail skirt covering the top. Her hands were covered with metallic-white gloves that were made of the lightest, yet sturdiest, material that was available. She also wore elbow-pads, so that she would be protected as best as was possible.

Dawn Berlitz looked down at her weapons with great dislike. First was a sword which although light, was not very sturdy... The shield, on the other hand, was extremely heavy, yet it was said that it could block a Solar Beam without getting so much as a scratch on it... The shield had the mark of Sinnoh on it... None of the Four Regions' marks looked that spectacular in form or design, it was mostly the color which set them apart... Sinnoh's mark was a rather dark silver-color for the background, but in the middle was a big "S" which was painted in the purest of white.

"Queen Berltiz!" A soldier ran into the tent and saluted, Dawn nodded towards him as a sign to let him continue. "Hoenn has been spotted! They will arrive at any moment now!"

"Thank you, private." The blunette sent him a smile, causing a big blush to appear over the young man's face as he saluted again and ran out. "How many soldiers do we have?"

"Hard to say..." The captain, who was wearing similar armor to Dawn, but had a few distinguishing features which told them she was the captain, pondered for a moment. "I would say... Around two and a half thousand..."

"And what about the number with the volunteers?" The queen asked with a tensed voice.

"Around two and a half thousand..." The captain sighed as she repeated her answer. "We have around one thousand veteran soldiers, eight hundred recruits and the rest are volunteers..."

"That's bad..." Dawn pointed out the obvious with a calm voice, causing the captain to smile lightly.

"Yes, my queen, it's very bad." Cynthia scraped her lance a bit against the ground as she fidgeted with her shield, trying to prove that she wasn't nervous in the least. "We will fight to the very end, Lady Dawn! You have nothing to fear!"

The blunette only smiled as she put a hand on her captain's shoulder and walked out of the tent, ready to face the army.

As soon as she came out, cheers were heard from the masses of soldiers that had already gathered... As if they had been staring at her tent, rather than the ground they were supposed to be fighting on.

"Long live queen Berlitz!"

"The beauty of Sinnoh!"

"The maiden in armor!"

The young girl felt her face heat up slightly, even thought it was such a serious moment.

She walked forward as the lines opened up for her, letting her pass as soldiers and volunteers either saluted, knelt or bowed for her.

The queen then suddenly stopped and looked with wide eyes at two persons that stood in the line.

"Aren't you... The girl with Ash...?" Dawn asked blankly of the long-haired brunette that was wielding a spear and whip, dressed in a brown leather-armor. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" Melody smiled with a confident look on her face. "I'm waiting for my fiancé!"

"You... You haven't heard-" Dawn was about to get drawn back into depression, only to be interrupted by the Temple Maiden.

"I heard that he quit working for you... So what?" The blunette had no idea where the brunette got all her confidence from. "Sir Ash will come back, I'm certain of it!"

"Indeed, so am I." The queen looked over towards the sing-song voice and saw a man covered in a big brown cloak and hat. He was equipped with a small crossbow and had an Aura of calmness around himself. "You might not remember me, Lady Berlitz. But I have had the pleasure of meeting both your highness and Ash twice."

"You're the bard!" The blunette exclaimed with a joyful voice, happy that she remembered him and spared herself the awkward moment. "Wait... What do you mean with 'Twice'?"

"We shouldn't delve into unnecessary details." The bard bowed deeply, although you could see some sweat-drops on him. "I think your soldiers are waiting, my queen."

"Yes, thank you." Dawn nodded, reminding herself to ask the man for the full story sometime.

Cynthia had caught up with her. Behind the captain was Byron, Volkner and some of the royal bodyguards, the ones that were also soldiers of Sinnoh.

The beautiful royal nodded towards them to which they responded with a salute. They then continued to walk towards the little podium where the queen would give her speech.

"Sir Brock..." Dawn hesitated as she saw him standing there with a spiked mallet and wooden-shield, looking very uncomfortable. "There is no need for you to stay here and fight... Please, get yourself to safety."

"I'm sorry, but I have to ignore that order, Lady Dawn." The advisor bowed with a brave look. "It's true that I am no warrior... But I refuse to leave this place as long as you're still here!"

"I see... thank you." She added silently, so only the advisor could hear her, Brock sent her a smile. "Is everything ready?"

"We are all waiting for your speech, Queen Dawn Johanna Berlitz of Sinnoh." Brock bowed once again as he made a gesture towards the podium, wanting to young woman to step up on it.

Dawn did so and looked at the army, thousands of eyes were on her in an instant, she needed to speak loudly so everyone could hear her.

"People of Sinnoh!" She halted herself as she saw that some of the young volunteers seemed to be below her own age... Why did war happen? "I don't think there is anyone here that can say that we want this! However! We are NOT going to war!... We are defending our homeland!"

A big cheer erupted from the crowd of soldiers as they roared and smashed their weapons together. When they stopped, Dawn continued.

"I will be completely honest with you, that's the least I can do! Many of us will not make it out of there alive! I can't even promise that we will win this battle!... BUT! WE are the ONLY thing that STANDS between THEM and SINNOH! If we fail, Sinnoh falls! That's why I promise you: I won't leave this place, as long as at least one of you is still ready to fight!"

She drew her sword, Dawn was surprised in how easily she did it, and held it straight with the tip pointing to the sky.

"For Sinnoh!"

"FOR SINNOH!'!'!" She had never heard such a loud noise before, it filled her with pride and encouragement as the soldiers cheered and clashed their weapons even more.

They still continued to roar the same words as Dawn and the others left the podium and took their positions, along with the screaming soldiers.

Then they could hear it... War drums… and the sound was getting closer

Out of the forest came a line of marching soldiers… Then another one, and another... It continued like that for what seemed like forever and Sinnoh stopped cheering and only looked in awe at the army that seemed to look to be twice as big...

However, Cynthia knew that the exact number would be more likely around four thousand warriors... Still, that was much more than what they had. But she also knew that many of them were hired swords, mercenaries. And mercenaries only stayed as long as there was a sure sign of victory... They couldn't enjoy their money in death, after all.

If a person were to stand in the lowest valley, he would see a very peculiar sight. On the east side, was the armies of Sinnoh, shining bright white and silver with the S-marked banners.

On the west side, you would see a wave of black and blood-red, along with Hoenn's H-marked banners, which were dark red and contained a black "H".

None of the sides had many pokemons... It was almost impossible to make a pokemon go to war, even more so to have it fight in large battles... But some soldiers still had a pokemon that they fought with... But they could barely see any on the side of Hoenn...

Cynthia felt some chills in her spine as she saw two people walk out of Hoenn's lines. She easily recognized the new king, Drew Shu... And the cold feeling could only come from the purple-haired Dark Aura, Paul Shinji...

"People of Sinnoh!" It was completely silent as the king of Hoenn cried out to the other side. "I praise you for your courage in facing us! However, this battle is already lost! Surre-"

The soldiers of Sinnoh were completely shocked at the sight that happened in front of them. Due to the distance, they could only see the king mouth a few words to his bodyguard, before he fell down to the ground.

Paul only pulled out his sword from Drew and looked at it with a disappointed look... Some of the soldiers, on the other side, could swear that his mouth said the words "Not blue...?" He then looked at the opposite side with his cold, black eyes and started to speak in the place of the now dead king.

"As you can see: The king has died!" What made the Sinnoh-side even more worried was that it seemed as though Hoenn's soldiers didn't seem to care! Like they had known about what would happen! "There is no bravery in facing us, only complete foolishness! If you surrender now, I promise you that I'll give you all a quick death!"

"FIRE!" Cynthia shouted for all her worth as she pointed her lance towards Paul and the rest of the army.

The sky was darkened by black arrows that appeared from Sinnoh's side, only to start raining down onto Hoenn's...

However, the people of Sinnoh faltered at what happened next...

The Dark Aura sheathed his sword and stretched out his hands, summoning a big red transparent shield around himself... But it didn't end there, the shield quickly stretched wide enough to protect most of the army! Was this the power of an Aura Gua-... No, a Dark Aura?

The arrows only scraped the red surface before they lazily fell off onto the ground.

Even Cynthia felt her courage dissipate a bit at the miracle that had occurred... No, it was no miracle, it was that man's true power... She almost understood Ash's unwillingness to fight in a war with him as the enemy... He was a monster, a true monster!

She felt herself take a step back, she didn't want to charge down that hill and face them down there... They didn't seem to have any range weapons, but that didn't make her feel any safer... She was the captain, right? The soldiers couldn't continue fighting if she died, right? She had to survive, right?

Unbeknownst to her, the soldiers around her started to think in similar patterns. They all slowly walked backwards, barely noticing it since they all did it.

"DON'T FALTER! PLEASE!'!" All of them froze at the desperate sound of their queen's voice. They turned around and could see her sitting on a Rapidash which had been transported from Kanto. "Please... Don't give up! You don't need to fear him!"

"She's right..." Cynthia gripped her weapon and shield as she took a big step forward. "The queen is right! Why fear one man?'! Are we children of Sinnoh, or Johto!'?"

"SINNOH!" Was the only roar the soldiers chanted as they all started to rush down the steep hill. "FOR THE QUEEN AND SINNOH!'!"

"Kill them!" Was the only order that Paul gave out to his own army as they too started to sprint down the hill.

The two armies met and collided in the middle. As soon as they collided, people started to scream, curse and cry out. There were explosions of red occurring at random points in the battle, and where the explosions occurred, nothing was left.

Volkner gritted his teeth as he felt a Hoenn soldier scrape his arm, but that soldier soon fell victim to his big axe... He was filled with blood-lust at the moment. He didn't care about life and death right now... The only thing he wanted was to slaughter all enemies in his way. So the usually calm man laughed madly as he swung his weapon towards the soldiers in red, slaughtering every single one in his way...

The brown-bearded man thanked Arceus for being on the same side as Volkner... Byron dodged a spear and cut down the man in front of him as he smashed another one in the face with his shield... He had been through many battles, and he could easily see that it didn't progress as well as they wanted to for the moment...

"Hold the line!" Shouted Cynthia as she took out two enemies with one thrust, the soldiers of Hoenn didn't wear much armor. It was true that their opponents didn't know a thing about fighting in big armies... But their numbers were more than enough to cover up for that fact... But, she refused to give in!

"YAHAAA!'!'!" The soldiers of Hoenn backed away from the crazy shirtless man that was built like a Machamp. Crasher Wake wielded one sword in each hand as he ran straight towards the biggest concentration of enemies. "COME ON! Let's die a glorious death together!'! HAHAA!'!" He swung his weapons around, each wound he got only made him faster and stronger... There was only one word that would describe a man like him: Berserker.

Melody jumped around as she didn't really know which one to strike down... She used her whip with her right hand and kept the enemies at the bay with her spear, which was in her left. "Kyaa!" The Hoenn soldier, who had accidentally touched her stomach as he tripped, backed away as he saw the dark look that came over the girl's face. "You-... You... ENEMIES OF WOMEN!'!"

"I apologize." An arrow flew and hit a man in red. "I apologize." Another one was sent flying and hit their mark. "I apologize." People wouldn't believe that he was only using a crossbow. Nando sent arrows flying faster than most bowmen could, and it didn't even look like he was aiming! Yet, he was doing it. However, his arrows was about to run out and that meant that he needed to retreat. "I apologize."

"Look out, Lady Dawn!" Brock threw himself onto one of the enemies, that had broken through the lines, and tackled him to the ground. Then he grabbed his small shield and started to hit him on the head until he had passed out.

"Thanks, Sir Brock... But you're supposed to use your weapon..." Dawn, who had already lost her shield, sweat-dropped at the sight. They were far behind the front-lines, but even here there were still some enemies which had broken through the lines.

"Behind you!" Brock's eyes widened as he saw a soldier rush towards the queen, his eyes filled with hope of becoming the hero of the war.

"Wide legs..." The girl muttered as she gripped her sword. "Not too stiff, not too loose. Raise your sword only slightly over your head and... STRIKE!"

Dawn closed her eyes as she felt her sword make contact with her enemy. The man had clearly not been expecting the young woman to be able to do that... Since he fell down and didn't move anymore. The blunette felt horrible, but she had to deal with it when this war was won... IF it was won... Maybe it was just her imagination, but it seemed to be more red than silver...

"Queen Dawn! We need to get you closer to the men!" Dawn nodded at Brock's words as they began to run towards the yellow mouse that had completely changed gear and zapped everything that was dressed in red... He would later become known as: "The Rodent From Hell", in the history books.

Melody felt scared... She was looking straight at a Dark Aura, and she was overflowed with an evil wave of energy... He emitted so much joy and hate as he killed those men, he laughed like a little child that had recently gotten his long-awaited gift...

She dodged a soldier's try to crush her head with a hammer, and meted out revenge by crushing the man's two smaller heads with her spear...

They were losing, that much she knew... Everyone knew that, even the youngest peasant child that was here knew that... But they still continued to fight to the last man. Every fighter for Sinnoh realized that if they killed enough, Hoenn would be forced to redraw from this region... They didn't care what happened to them, as long as their home was safe!

Sinnoh had already lost more than half of their warriors, mostly because of the Dark Aura... Hoenn had lost a little more in numbers... But they still had more soldiers on the field. She needed to do something about the Dark Aura...

Melody gave out a short war-cry as she charged towards the purple-haired man, who laughed as happily as ever as he killed three soldiers who looked to be just out of their childhoods.

"Die! You evil Dark Aura!" Paul only looked at her with a tilted head as he caught her whip in mid-air, even more confidently than Ash had done it! "W-What...?"

"Oh... This was interesting..." The Dark Aura smiled as he killed a man that had tried to sneak up on him, with his sword. "Who knew that Sinnoh also had an Aura user to fighting for them... Oh, well. I guess you'll have to do, since that pathetic coward refuses to show up..."

Just what was this man...? The battle had lasted for hours, even those in the back of the lines were panting... But he didn't seem to even be winded! She was scared, but she didn't show it... She may never become an Aura Guardian, but she would die like one!

"C-Come on!" She let go of her whip and grabbed her spear with both hands, glaring bravely at him. "I will defeat you!"

"Enough." He was already looking bored as he pointed his sword at her throat and sighed. "This war is getting boring... I'll hurry up and finish thi-..."

Suddenly, a wide and psychotic smile appeared on his face as he launched out an Aura Sphere towards the Aura-User, forcing her to throw herself out of the way.

"Away with you, you're not worthy my time!" He started to laugh, like his greatest wish had appeared. "Come! Come to me!"

And as soon as he said that, horns sounded from the western side... Slowly but surely, you could see blue banners with golden "K"s on them.

The soldiers on both sides stopped fighting as they saw that Kanto had arrived... Since they had no idea which side they would join.

But the people of Sinnoh felt some kind of strange energy inside of them... It was a strong feeling of reassurance, that everything would be alright.

The youngest of the armies, with the best eyes, peered towards the army of Kanto and tried to see any signs of who they fought for... Then they noticed the blue jackal-looking pokemon that stood there with crossed arms. And beside him...

"Aura Guardian!'!" Sinnoh's youngsters cried out with joy. "The Aura Guardians have returned!"

Paul was also in joy, but it was for a completely different reason. He started to laugh for all his worth once again. "Welcome! Let's settle this! Right here, right now!"

Then, in the middle of the mass of soldiers, they heard a happy scream:

"PikaPi!"

**End of chapter 18**

* * *

**Hmm... WHO might those be...? **

**I sure hope I managed to pull off the whole speech- and big battle-thing... Since it's the first time I've ever tried to write something like that. How do you think it went? **

**As you now know... only THREE chapters left! HOWEVER! The last chapter will be more of an epilogue, meaning that the outcome of the poll isn't that far away!  
Just so you know, if you haven't fully understood it yet: The outcome of the poll WILL decide Ash's fate. If it wants him to die, he dies; If it wants him to live, he lives; And if it wants me to decide, I'll make the decision. **

**Now, how about a question for the next chapter?  
As you remember, the Sword of Kanto broke... What kind of new weapon will Ash get? (_Note/Hint: To just say "A sword/spear" is too easy... You'll have to guess what KIND it is too!_) and what do YOU think, is the history behind it?  
**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello! Your (hopefully) long-awaited chapter is finally here! **

**In the previous chapter: Drew, the prince of Hoenn, was killed by his "bodyguard" Paul Shinji, the Dark Aura... and after a long and hard battle, Sinnoh realize that they're going to lose this war... BUT, at the end of the chapter before, Kanto arrived! The army of Kanto was led by a Lucario and a man dressed in blue... But will things go as you hope? Only this chapter will tell!**

**Before we continue... I'd like to express my thanks to "Rayquaza45", as he volunteered (alright, he owed me a favor ^^) to correct a part (note: only the first 3/4, since I didn't want to spoil too much) of the chapter! So don't blame him for any mistakes in the last part, since it's only affected by my terrible grammar :D  
So that's why this chapter will differ a bit by the rest (my usual BetaReader was too busy with his exams and such, to have time). But I hope you'll still like it! **

**As for the question in the previous one...: I can say that ONE of you got it right... Who? You'll see!  
**

**Ah, before I forget... Let's have a little language lesson!  
"Nami Shirube" is Japanese and means "Wave Guide"... that's their word for "Aura Guardian" (you'll understand why I tell you this, when you read the chapter).  
"Nami Kuchiku" means then "Wave Destroyer"... Maybe some of you've figured out it already...? ;)  
**

**Now, instead of rambling on about some strange and illogical things... How about we get this started?**

**I hope you'll enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!  
**

* * *

The man in blue looked calmly down onto the fighting soldiers, a grim look over his face.

"So... It came down to this, after all..."

* * *

_Four days ago..._

* * *

"Let me down, you damn bird!" The majestic Pidgeot only ignored him as it continued to fly high in the air, its talons dug deep into the back of the shirt of the young man. "You think you were clever...? I've always known you were following me, for all those years..."

"Pidgeooot!" The bird only cried out as it continued to cover ground with an incredible speed, they had already entered the Kanto region.

Truly, it had been Pidgeot that had 'attacked' Ash and almost sent him to the ground. The mercenary had always known that the bird was following him in a distance, ever since the death of the Kanto royal family. He had ignored him, for the most of the time, since he knew that he could easily slay Pidgeot if he came too close... However, now Ash was high up in the air and without any weapon. So the only thing he could do was to let himself be taken to whatever place the bird planned to take him to.

"How long do you think that you can keep up?" Ash sent the pokemon with cream colored chest a taunting smile. "I'm pretty heavy, you know. And as soon as you're too close to the ground, you're finished."

The bird simply ignored him as it passed a society, which Ash recognized as Pewter City. Several houses of stone was as painted on the ground while they flew over it. People down there pointed up towards the sky, at the peculiar sight of a young man being carried by a Pidgeot.

Then, it suddenly appeared to Ash where they were going. He started to struggle for all his worth, not caring how fatal the fall would be.

"No! I refuse! Let me down!" He tried to punch and kick the bird, but it was impossible from the way Pidgeot had its grip on him.

So he could only hang there in defeat as the bird-pokemon slowly lowered itself towards Route 17, by the sea. Ash could easily recognize the circle-like clearing that was surrounded by bushes which reminded of walls, with a stream slowly pouring in the middle of the circle...

The bird landed with a soft sound onto the ground, in the middle of the clearing, as it let go of its grip of Ash.

The raven haired mercenary only stood up with a calm face, refusing to give away anything.

In front of him stood a blue pokemon. It seemed as if he hadn't aged a day since the mercenary had seen him last. A majority of blue colors, black lines on its head and completely black legs, the yellow furry torso and a spike on the top of each upper-paw... The jackal-looking pokemon just stood there.

The two beings looked at each other, none of them even opening his mouth to speak. Pidgeot, who felt like its duty was over, had just placed itself a little bit from them to not interrupt any event that may happen.

"Cario!" The Lucario barked at him, rather hostile.

"I refuse." Not a single sign of emotion was shown on Ash's face as he sent the blue pokemon countless of hard looks.

"Lucario-cario!" The jackal pokemon didn't seem to give in as he became more and more angry. "Cario!"

"You have NO reason to enter my head!" Ash snapped at him, still refusing to lower his defense so they could communicate. "I said, all those years ago, that I would disown my Aura... and I stand by my words!"

"Lucario cario..." Lucario sighed as he looked at his former master with pleading eyes. "Cario-cario?"

One of Ash's eyebrows twitched slightly as he, too, let out a sigh.

"Alright." He finally said. "Just this one time."

The mercenary relaxed his mind and body, allowing Lucario's energy to merge with his own.

"_**Thank you, Ash.**_" If the mercenary was to be completely honest, he had missed to hear Lucario's true voice. "_**It is good to see you again.**_"

"I will not come back, Lucario." Ash shook his head as he turned around and looked at the slow stream, not even a single rock had been moved since he left this place. "We took too much water over our heads, we couldn't do a thing."

"_**You were young, Ash.**_" Lucario walked up next to him and also looked at the very small beach. "_**To expect you to be an Aura Guardian at such a young age... It was too much. I am sorry.**_"

"If we are going to apologize..." Ash glanced at the jackal pokemon with a slight smile. "I am sorry, too. I shouldn't had said all those things back then."

The blue dog-pokemon smiled back as he was about to put his paw on Ash's shoulder, only to realize something very strange.

"_**You have grown...**_" He couldn't reach up to the mercenary's shoulder anymore. "_**When we last saw each other, you still had the body of a child.**_"

"Thanks, for pointing that out..." The mercenary couldn't help but sweat-drop a bit as he heard the pokemon's blunt statement. "At least you haven't changed a bit."

"_**Are you sure about that...?**_" The pokemon tilted its head towards the young man with raven black hair.

"You seem a little stronger, only that." Even Ash didn't fully know why he could talk so friendly with the pokemon, after all this time. "Have you trained?"

"_**Mediated.**_" Was Lucario's answer as he looked towards the tree, where Ash had been forced to stand on a branch on one leg. "_**I've barely moved an inch since you last left for your little journey.**_"

"'Little'?" Ash frowned a bit as he picked up a rock and threw it into the water. "I've been gone for about four years, you know?"

"_**And now you are bac-...**_" The pokemon halted himself as he realized something. "_**Where's Pikachu?**_"

"He..." A great sadness washed over Ash as he remembered their departure. "He... and I took different paths."

"_**I see...**_" The pokemon nodded with crossed arms and closed eyes. "_**So he decided to stay at the castle, while you left.**_"

"H-How do you know that?'!" The mercenary took a slight step away from Lucario as he felt for his weapon, out of bad habit, only to find that he was unarmed. "Have you been following us?'!"

"_**The words of pokemon travels faster than the words of men.**_" Lucario explained slowly as he considered to go back to his meditating. "_**Also... You and Pikachu are rather famous, even among the pokemon... It's not very usual for a human and a pokemon to travel together as long as you have.**_"

"I see..." Ash muttered, but he felt a little relived that Lucario hadn't been following them the whole time. "Then I take for granted, that you know what we've done these past years..."

"_**Yes. I know.**_" The jackal stated with a firm voice. "_**I neither blame, nor praise you... You did what you had to do, that's all. But... there's one thing I do not understand.**_"

"And what's that?" Ash already had a feeling that he wouldn't like the question.

"_**You have told some people, that you've met during your journey, to change their life and repent for their mistake... Is that correct**_?" Ash suspected a trap, without hesitation, but he was interested to see where this was going.

"That is true." The mercenary nodded.

"_**Then... Why don't you repent for all those things you have done, too?**_" Ash had foreseen his answer as soon as he had started the question... But he couldn't explain it.

"I... Have no answer." The mercenary told him with a grim look over his face. "What good would it do? As you said yourself: I wasn't fit for being an Aura Guardian... and fighting is the only thing I can do... I can't protect somebody, I can only kill."

"_**FOOL!**_" Ash took a step back at Lucario's outburst. "_**You go on and on as you blame yourself for those who died, that you swore to protect... But THINK a little! You think you failed with protecting the royal family of Kanto with your Aura powers... Yet, you DIDN'T fail by protecting the former princess of Sinnoh! And you didn't even use your Aura! How about you try to remember those you TRULY protected with your strength!**_"

Ash didn't know what to answer, nothing came to mind. Lucario's words ran through his head, over and over. It was true... He did manage to save Queen Dawn Berlitz... but to what use? He abandoned her as soon as he heard a war was coming... Would it be different if he used his Aura...? No, probably not...

"It doesn't matter..." He finally said. "I'm not qualified to be an Aura Guardian, no matter how much you try to convince me."

"_**No?**_" Lucario looked at him with a suspicious look. "_**And why is that?**_"

"I lost." He simply stated. "I lost against a Dark Aura. Every time I fought against him, a fear built up inside me... I know that he uses his Aura to manipulate negative emotions. But I thought that my inner Aura was strong enough to stand against it, but I had wrong."

"_**Ash...**_" Lucario sighed with a heavy breath. "_**You haven't used your powers for so long, no wonder you couldn't resist him. I can't even feel a tenth of your usual strength right now!**_"

Truly. Ash had done his best to hide and keep his own Aura inside... But he had no idea that it actually made his protective Aura grow weaker... Did that mean he could actually win?

"I'm not sure..." The mercenary sat himself down onto the ground. "His Aura Sphere managed to destroy the Sword of Kanto... There isn't any stronger sword in this world! How can I defeat him, when everything I attack him with breaks?"

"_**There is no stronger sword than the Sword of Kanto...**_" Lucario started to smirk a bit. "_**that can be used by a normal human.**_"

"'Normal human'?" A big frown was all over Ash's face as he looked at his former partner. "What are you talking about?"

"_**Aura Guardians and Dark Auras have always had trouble with their weapons breaking in their battles... However, there were one Aura Guardian that trained in the art of blacksmithing as a hobby. And he forged a sword, which only Aura Guardians with a special Aura can use... But the Dark Auras got over his instructions on how to do it... So one of them did a similar sword, for their own Aura.**_" Lucario seemed very eager, as he started to walk back and forth on the hard ground. "_**The sword that the Dark Aura made is currently in the hand of a Paul Shinji-**_"

"What?" The mercenary's eyes widened, so that's why he couldn't scrape his sword? "But... then I have no chance whatsoever to defeat him! I mean, the Aura Guardian's sword is lost... right?"

"_**True... There is no living HUMAN that knows where it is now.**_" The jackal had a slight smile on his face as he nodded towards Pidgeot, who shrieked and started to fly towards the north direction. "_**The last owner of the sword was no other than Sir Aaron Ketchum... Your father, Ash.**_"

"I... I..." A hope was building up inside of Ash, a small yet bright hope... But it soon disappeared. "It doesn't matter. As you said, it was a sword for Aura Guardians... I am no Aura Guardian."

"_**I think your little vacation is over now, Ash.**_" It seemed as a dark Aura started to appear over Lucario, he was angry. "_**It was one thing all those years ago. You were young, you didn't know much about **__**the world and had been through too much... However! You're now counted as one of the most skillful swordsmen in the four regions! You are no longer a child, you are a grown man! Stop running from your destiny... You got the power of Aura for a purpose! You ARE a Guardian of the Aura, NOT a mercenary!**_"

"That... that was the stupidest thing, I've ever heard...!" Ash started to laugh loudly... However, his laugh was not one of ill intent... It was a true laughter. "So... So incredible idiotic! How can you say that I-... I have... been... so stupid..."

He fell down onto his knees and and looked up into the sky, what was wrong with him? He had been running from the inevitable... He had always known, deep inside, that there was no way he could escape from his past... Now, there was only one thing to do.

"_**Yes, you have.**_" Lucario nodded with his eyes closed, it was starting to be time for lunch. "_**But it's not too late. Let me ask you this: Do you accept your Aura?**_"

"I... Accept it." The young man nodded as he felt a great load be lifted off his heart. "I accept my Aura... and my destiny."

"_**It isn't as easy as that, Ash.**_" Lucario shook his head. "_**It's a good thing that you accept your Aura... But you still can't just go ahead and fight the closest Dark Aura right now...**_"

"Why not?" Ash was starting to get a bad feeling about this. "Are you saying that I'm not used to my powers, after not using them for so long?"

"_**No, the patterns are etched into your body... However.**_" The pokemon scratched the back of its head. "_**I guess you could compare your body to a bottle of shaken alcohol, right now... Since you've not used it for years, your powers have built up inside your body and wants to come out... But if you try to force them out directly, it will have the same effect as opening the shaken bottle.**_"

"And... what's those effects?" Ash didn't know why, but he felt like he was on self-destruction...

"_**Your body won't be able to handle the pressure and power... and you'll most likely die, at the best.**_" Lucario didn't even look at the young man, which was proof enough of how much it pained him to break those news. "_**We need you to get used to them slowly.**_"

"How long will it take." The raven haired man could see the pokemon hesitate. "Give me an answer."

"_**With you? About a month... If we work hard.**_" Lucario sighed as he looked back on the stream once again. "_**There is no short-cut to the way of an Aura Guardian and-... What are you doing!'?**_"

"I don't have time to wait!" Ash exclaimed as he stood in the middle of one half of the circle. His hands were stretched out horizontally from each other and he had a firm foot-hold. "Hoenn will arrive in only a couple of days... I won't run away anymore!"

"_**Stop it, you fool!**_" Lucario could only watch with horror in his eyes as a faint blue light appear in the palms of Ash's hands... It grew brighter and brighter as Ash gritted his teeth. "_**Ash!**_"

"GAAH!" The mercenary threw his body backwards, it felt like his blood was boiling. His body seemed to want to be ripped apart more and more. The blue light grew brighter and bigger and his pain increased each second.

The young man's eyes shot up as his pupils trembled heavily by the sheer force. It hurt... It hurt so much. Even Lucario's Aura had stopped to reach him, not even when he spoke normally he could hear him.

Ash screamed as he got down on one knee, blue energy had started to flow everywhere from his body. Lucario needed to retreat to the other side, so he wouldn't be hurt by the compact force that spread. The young man roared in pain as he was surrounded by a wall of blue Aura-... No, not only blue. There were hints of red, that represented his anger and sorrow all those years... But the big majority was blue and Lucario could only watch in frustration as his returned friend screamed in agony.

The mercenary's clothes were starting to get ripped to shreds, his shirt disappeared fully and only patches of his pants were left. His whole body had started to twitch, yet he still refused to break his stance. The red light was starting to disappear more and more as the blue energy became clearer and cleaner for each second... Until it all exploded.

"GYAAH!'!" The blue light slowly died down as Ash's body fell towards the ground. Soon, it was all completely still, as if nothing had happened before.

Lucario hurried towards his body and turned it around, making his face point towards the sky.

"_**Ash! Ash! Are you alright? Answer me, please!**_" The blue jackal felt a wave of relief wash over himself as he felt Ash's hand on his neck. The young man slowly opened his right eye, it was shining blue as he was smiling. "_**Welcome back... master...**_"

He grabbed Ash's arm and helped him up on the human's shaky legs.

"_**You truly are a dense idiot, master...**_" The pokemon smiled at him as he led him towards a pile of bags. "_**You haven't changed, after all...**_"

"_**Thank you... I think.**_" Ash smirked back as he breathed heavily and watched the several packs.

"_**It's good to hear your true voice, master.**_" Lucario helped him to lean against a large rock at the corner.

"_**You still want to call me 'master', Lucario?**_" Ash shook his head, rather disappointed. "_**Is that the way you should treat someone who ran away?**_"

"_**You didn't run away, master.**_" The blue dog-pokemon shook his head too as he opened a brown leather-bag. "_**You came back.**_"

"_**Lucario... is that...?**_" Ash grabbed the black hat that had a blue-looking sash tied around the top of it, marked with something that looked like a Pidgeot's eye in gold color.

"_**Let us see how Sir Riley's guess in size was, shall we?**_" The blue pokemon smiled as he helped Ash get dressed in the clothes that Riley had ordered for Ash, to use when he had grown up.

A few minutes later, a fully dressed young man stood there.

He was wearing his blue boots of leather, that was slightly folded at the top, showing a brown inside. Gray, baggy pants with a brown belt around them and a small travel-pouch at the side. His body, over the waist, was covered with a gray, long-sleeved, thin shirt and over it was a blue vest of a hard material, that reminded of a light armor. And lastly, the black and blue hat with a drawn Pidgeot's eye in gold was placed on his head, pushing some of his black hair over his face.

"_**The Guardian of the Aura has returned...**_" A tear was actually rolling down Lucario's cheek, it had been so long... "_**I greet you, master.**_"

"_**Thank you, Lucario...**_" Ash refused to cry, so he only smiled instead. "_**It's good to be back.**_"

"PIDGEOOT!'!" They turned their heads towards the attention-wanting bird that made a quick landing as it dropped something that was surrounded by a brown cloth.

"Cario! Lucario!" The aura-pokemon thanked the bird-pokemon through speech, since Pidgeot couldn't communicate through Aura. The bird nodded its head.

Ash picked up the package and slowly removed the brown material... only to have his eyes opened wide.

"This is..."

The sword's sheath was a dark-blue color with a black string almost at the top of it, so you could be able to attach it to your belt. The sword's handle was also a blue color, but it was a lighter shade and it had some small, black star-shaped patterns on it. Its hilt was oval and completely black, but some gold-looking metal went out a bit on the edge from it. The edge, from what Ash could see when he lifted it a little from its sheath, was a dull silver with a slightly polished edge... However, what was interesting was the form of the blade. The edge wasn't straight, nor was it sharp on both sides. Only one side was sharpened and the blade had a slight bend on it... It was bent as a...

"... A katana..." Ash finally managed to say it. He had wielded such weapons before, of course. But he didn't think Aura Guardians used them, especially not since Paul used a longsword. "They aren't making such weapons anymore, since they break easily and take time to forge... and let's not even talk about the price... So why a katana?"

"_**This isn't an ordinary sword, master.**_" Lucario shook his head, more than happy to explain. "_**It's true that a katana breaks easily... But this one is special. Pull it out.**_"

As soon as Ash did it, the dull silver edge suddenly became shining and it showed off a faint shine of blue... It had to be Ash's imagination, because it looked as the sword became sharper when he put his hand on the handle...

But what really confused him was the feeling... He had wielded countless of weapons before, and the feeling was all the same... This, however, was something else... It was like... it was a part of him, a part of his Aura... How that now made sense. It felt as it drained a little of his energy for the moment, only to give it back the second later... did the sword just become lighter?

"_**The katana becomes fused with your Aura, master.**_" This was the first time Lucario had seen the sword, too, so the pokemon's eyes refused to leave it. "_**That's why it shines blue, it's a part of you... And its name is: 'Nami Shirube', the brother to 'Nami Kuchiku'.**_"

"The sword of my father..." Ash was too astonished to speak through his Aura, since he hadn't done it for several years. "The Sword of the Aura Guardian... Nami Shirube...?"

"_**You can add your own energy into the sword, to make it even more powerful and sturdier.**_" Lucario continued to explain, even though Ash barely listened. "_**That's why it has never broken... But I don't know how it will turn out if you use it against its brother...**_" He was of course referring to the Dark Aura's sword.

"We just have to find out." The Aura Guardian sheathed the sword and attached it on his waist. "I'm planning on going back to Sinnoh... are you with me, Lucario?"

"_**I am with you, master.**_" His partner's words were honest. "_**However... It's foolish to go to war by ourselves... Even though we are users of the Aura, we can't defeat such a big army alone...**_"

"_**How do you suggest we do, then?**_" Ash lifted one eyebrow. "_**I'm not so sure Kanto would welcome me back with welcome arms, and Johto shouldn't we even talk about... I guess this is my punishment for not being able to protect the royal family...**_"

"_**I don't understand, master...**_" Lucario tilted his head as they walked towards Pidgeot, who stood there ready to take off. "_**Why wouldn't Kanto welcome you?**_"

"_**Don't you remember it, Lucario...?**_" Ash was actually quite disappointed in that his partner seemed to have forgotten it. "_**All members of the royal family died, killed by the same Dark Aura that killed Riley.**_"

"_**Who said that ALL of them died?**_"

* * *

The Aura Guardian and his partner stood at the gates of Saffron City, the capital of Kanto. Ash still had a hard time melting the words Lucario had spoken, even though he had tried to explain it the best he could on the way here.

"So... What you are saying is that one of the royal family members survived...?" Lucario sighed, Ash was too shocked to even talk through his Aura.

"_**Yes, master. It is as I said.**_" The gates in front of them were wide open and they hadn't been spotted by any guards either, probably due to the shift-change. "_**Pokemon from all over Kanto has told me that one of them survived... How and why? I don't know...**_"

"Who is it, then?" Ash looked nervous... and if the guardian looked nervous, it meant that any normal person would faint on the spot. "King Giovanni? Princess Leafiona? Prince Richard?"

"_**You're not counting Queen Agatha, master?**_" Lucario frowned a bit as his ears moved.

"I remember the scene, Lucario..." The young man closed his eyes as he put a hand on his new sword, the event that had happened all those years ago played through his head. "I was certain that everyone of them had died... But if it is as you said, then only those three can be alive. I remember the condition of Queen Agatha's body, and it was... I rather not think about it..."

"_**I understand, master.**_" The jackal-looking pokemon nodded with a grim face, he also remembered what had happened. "_**I'm sorry. But I have no idea who is alive... Wild pokemons thinks that humans looks all the same... Men or women, old or young, they can't see the difference.**_"

"_**I'm not surprised...**_" Ash, who had started to get used to the situation, had finally started to speak through his Aura. "_**Humans, who don't spend a lot of time with pokemon, are the same...**_"

The two friends looked at each other and nodded, then they passed through the gate.

The first people who saw them were an old couple and, probably, their grandchildren. They started to whisper quickly to each other when they saw the Aura Guardian and Lucario walk in the middle of the street.

"_**I'm not so certain about this, master...**_" Ash glanced and Lucario and sent him a weak smile. He understood the pokemon's uneasiness... The former mercenary was used to people pointing and whispering behind his back, for a different reason though. But Lucario hadn't seen other people for four years, no wonder he felt nervous. "_**It's so many... Auras...**_"

"_**You'll get used to it, Lucario.**_" They continued to walk towards the castle, where the royal family would be at. More and more people came out of their houses, everybody acting like they were seeing legendary pokemons. They could hear whispers about if they were real, or if they just was impostors... "_**People will stare at us for as long as we are protectors of the Aura... I think it's a nice change that they look at you because they really look up to you, and not fear you.**_"

"_**Of course, master.**_" Lucario, who seemed to know where Ash was getting at, nodded knowingly. "_**Forgive my naivety.**_"

The man in blue just shook his head in amusement, but then he got serious.

They had arrived at the castle.

Ash glanced slightly behind him and could see the mass of civilians be driven away by the guards, although even the soldiers looked in awe at the Aura Guardians too...

The former mercenary's heart skipped a beat at the sight that appeared for him next.

The man dressed in a blue cape and black boots, with a golden-looking armor, tried to glance at the newly arrived man's face... Although, due to the shadow of his black and blue hat, it made it impossible for the red-haired man to get a good look at him.

"My name is Captain Lance Wataru, leader of the armies of Kanto... Who are you, if I may ask, to dress up as an Aura Guardian." He narrowed his eyes into the man in front of him, he couldn't forgive people who pretended to be protectors of the Aura... Especially since he had known three great men, who all had walked the path of the Aura. "Present your name and your face, before I can grant you access to the castle."

"My name..." The voice of the man in front of him sounded empty as he gripped his hat... But then he took it off hat as he presented his raven black hair and spoke with a powerful voice. "My name is Sir Ash Aaron Ketchum, former apprentice of Sir Riley Gen and son to Sir Aaron Ketchum... I am a Guardian of the Aura!"

It took a couple of seconds for his words to reach everyone around... But, soon, the people began talk quickly. Some started to cheer, others started to run towards the town to relay the news, soldiers didn't know if they should salute or bow.

Lance, on the other hand, only stood there with his eyes and mouth wide opened.

"A-... A-... Ash..." He started to walk slowly towards the young man in front of him. "It's... It's... really you... Ash...?"

"I ask for forgiveness, for being away for such a long time." Ash bowed his head a bit, the hat still in his hand. "However, I have now come back into duty... But I have urgent needs to discuss with you and-..."

He halted himself in his words as the middle-aged man suddenly took him into an embrace. He hugged him hard, Ash was starting to suspect that he was trying to hurt him, as it seemed as Lance tried to keep Ash from floating away to wherever he came from.

"Thank Ho-Oh, you're alright..." He whispered it while he continued to hug him, a hint of red appeared over Ash's face. "Everyone... Everyone said you were dead... I told them you were alive, I told them..."

"It's good to see you again, captain." Ash wanted nothing more than hug him back and celebrate the all night long... but he had things that was more important. "But we have urgent things to do, things that can't wait."

"Of-... Of course!" Lance backed away and saluted him. "You are more than welcome to the castle of the royal family of Kanto, Sir Ash Ketchum!"

"Thank you." Ash and Lucario saluted the captain back, who seemed to have regained his senses. "Shall we enter?"

"Indeed." The red haired captain nodded eagerly as he hurried inside the gates, the Aura Guardians directly after him.

"I need you to tell me something..." The captain looked a bit confused at the young man's insecure voice, as the gates were shut after them. "Is it true... that a member of the royal family is still alive?"

"Yes..." Lance was shocked to see that Ash knew even that, as they continued to walk through the all-familiar gray halls of the castle. "How did you-"

"I've only heard rumors." The beat of the guardians' hearts started to increase at Lance's agreeing. "Can you please give us the whole story?"

"A-Alright." Captain Wataru nodded as he took a deep breath. "It's rather simple, actually..."

They opened another door, the throne-room was not far away.

"When you intercepted the Dark Aura, he managed to land an attack on the royal family... Unfortunately, it was a fatal attack. Nobody blames you for it, Sir Ash, we all know you did your best. As soon as you had left the castle and we started to take care of the damages... that's when we noticed it..." They passed another couple of guards. The words of the Aura Guardians seemed to have been spread throughout the castle already. "One of the members was still alive! Barely though, the doctors said the survival-rate for those internal wounds was only around ten percent... However, to summarize it all up: We decided, after the member had been saved, to protect the remaining royal family for all it's worth, since another Dark Aura might'd come again... That's why there were only rumors in Kanto that one was alive, only those inside the castle here knew that it was true..."

"Who..." Ash gulped, he felt both sweaty and cold at the same time as he saw the door to the room come closer and closer. "Who... was it that survived?"

"I am sorry, Sir Ash." Lance shook his head. "The orders are very clear... I can't tell you who the survivor is, you have to seen it with your own eyes... However, you are expected."

Ash could already feel a familiar Aura... Truly, he knew that it belonged to a Kanto royal, but he had forgotten who...

When the door opened up, Ash's fists were clenched as he walked in. His and Lucario's faces was struck with a strong light from the windows, as the sun laid on those two and shone directly at them.

The Aura Guardian tried to block the rays of light with the brim on his hat, and soon his eyes got used to it.

"What have I done, to have the honor of being in the presence of a Guardian of the Aura?" The raven haired man's heart stopped beating for a moment.

"_No way..._" Ash took off his hat as he fell down onto his knees, his eyes and mouth wide opened. "_It... it can't be..._"

The person in front of him was around his age. Blue eyes were decorating the person's face, along with a kind and comforting smile.

Brown, silken hair was reaching down to the back of the woman and she was dressed in a fully blue dress, as she sat on her throne.

"Prin-... No... Queen Leafiona..." Ash slowly got onto one knee and bent his head down, mostly to blink away the tears that had appeared in his eyes. "You... are alive..."

"Cario..." The jackal-pokemon was as stunned as his partner, he let the tears fall freely down his face as he looked at the beautiful, young queen in front of them.

"You have both had a long journey these past years to travel, Guardians of the Aura." Her voice was comforting and forgiven, All Ash's problem seemed to disappear when he heard it. "But now, you are home. You are safe."

The guardian could feel her Aura approach him, then he felt her hands around his head as she took him into a warm embrace.

"I have missed you, Ash..." Leaf's voice was a mixture of sadness and happiness. She must've had as much pain and trouble during those years as Ash, even though she had spent her time in a castle all along... "I've missed you so..."

"I have missed you, too... Leaf..." Lucario lifted one of his eyebrows at Ash's words, as a slight tinge of red appeared over the queen's face. "I wish nothing more than to celebrate this the whole night... However, there is something that must be done first."

Queen Leafiona watched in confusion as Ash got up and put the hat on his head.

"The reason I came to Kanto is... I've a favor to ask of you..." The Aura Guardian gulped a bit as he glanced at his partner, who nodded encouraging. "As you may have heard, Hoenn has declared war against Sinnoh and have sent an army towards them... I wish to ask if Kanto can grant Sinnoh an army for aid?"

"Sinnoh..." Leaf seemed to think a bit, only to get a slightly dark look over her face. "Isn't the ruler Dawn Berlitz?"

"Yes, that is true." Ash nodded, although he felt as if the environment became rather cold... "Whichever answer you give us, we will leave to aid them ourselves... But reinforcement from Kanto would be very helpful."

"You never change, Ash, do you...?" Leafiona sighed as she walked back towards her throne and sat down. "Always straight down to the business..."

"I apologize, Queen Leafiona." The guardian bowed his head a bit. "But we don't have much time... I need to know your answer as soon as possible."

The brunette queen looked towards the captain, who controlled the army.

"Well..." Lance cleared his throat. "If we want to get there in time, we need to travel by boat... Also, we can only gather around eight hundred... But that should be enough, if we have Sir Ash and Lucario... What about Pikachu?"

"He's already with Sinnoh's army." Ash didn't know why... but something inside told him not to mention to Leaf that the rodent had chosen to stay at Dawn's side. "Can you please grant your soldiers permission to help us, Queen Leafiona?"

"I will..." Ash tensed himself, she wasn't finished speaking. "For some terms..."

"And those are...?" The guardian gulped, he didn't like this feeling.

"One, Sinnoh will be needed to compensate every soldier of Kanto that loses his life in the line of duty; Two, the borders of trade between Sinnoh and Kanto will be re-opened; Three, Kanto and Sinnoh will form a military alliance, so Hoenn won't be able to attack anyone again;..." Ash nodded, those conditions were more than logical... Some of them would even benefit both regions... "Four, you, Sir Ash Aaron Ketchum, will come for a visit at least once a month;"

"...eh?" Ash could only look at the queen with an empty look, as she smiled sweetly, yet evilly, towards him. "Can you... repeat that again, my queen?"

"Condition number four: Sir Ash Aaron Ketchum, Guardian of the Aura, need to visit me, Queen Leafiona of Kanto, at least once a month from here on." Ash could suddenly see the old Leaf in the queen once again, this had been her plan all along... "Do you agree to those terms?"

"I..." This was ridiculous... He would've visited her anyway, since a duty of an Aura Guardian is to check up the royal families every now and then. "I agree to those terms!"

"Then I grant you permission to use the army of Kanto to aid Sinnoh!" Leaf got up from her throne and nodded towards Lance, who saluted. "You need to take your leave immediately, if you want to get there in time! And, Ash..." The guardian looked at the queen, she seemed worried. "be careful... okay?"

* * *

_In the outskirts of Eterna City... Present time... _

* * *

"_**I can feel him, master...**_" Ash glanced at his partner of the Aura. "_**I understand how you could lose before... His Aura is dangerously strong...**_"

"_**Don't worry about it, there's nothing to fear...**_" Ash looked behind him. "_**Not anymore...**_"

"On the other hand..." He then turned to his left side. "Mind explaining what you're doing here, old man?"

"Watch it, kid." The brown-haired senior smirked taunting. "I might be old... But I think I can still be of use, somehow."

"Wouldn't it be better to be home with your family, Mikael...?" Ash frowned at the old cook, who was dressed in a very old armor. "This is a serious matter, many of us will not come back."

"What family?" He sent him a weak smile. "I have served the royal family for all my life... How stupid it might sound, you're the closest as it comes for a son... so you'll have to do!"

"Thank you... I think..." The guardian sweat-dropped at his words and turned to his right side, towards the red haired captain. "Are the men ready?"

"They are waiting for you, Sir Ash." Lance nodded with a smile. "How about you show me, if Koga's stories about you were true...?."

The corner of Ash's mouth twitched a bit as he turned towards the eight hundred soldiers, all staring at him. They were dressed in golden-colored armor, with some hints of blue leather here and there. These were professional soldiers, all volunteered to have the chance of fighting Hoenn... Ash respected those men, none of them showed a hint of fear, although some Auras in there wavered.

"Soldiers of Kanto!" The men snapped their heads up and looked at their commander, Lance stood at the side with his arms crossed. "I feel like I'm not qualified enough to lead you... Aura Guardian or not... However, we are united by one thing!"

He then pointed towards the lower ground in front of them.

"Look there! Our allies of Sinnoh are being slaughtered by Hoenn. Are we going to just sit here and watch? Are we just going to watch our friends become killed by our enemy?'!"

"NO!" Ash smiled inwardly at the encouraged sound of the soldiers, they were almost ready.

"I thought so! NO! We're not going to sit by and watch them suffer! We are NOT going to let them be killed!" He put a hand on his sheathed katana, all soldiers followed his motion and also put their hands on their sheathed weapons. "I ask you, not as a Guardian of the Aura or ally of Sinnoh... But as a son of Kanto: Will you FIGHT?'!"

With his last word, he drew his katana and it started to shine with a mix of silver and blue. All around and behind him, several sharp-looking weapons were drawn and people started to cheer and smash their weapons together.

"Impressive, Sir Ash. Very impressive..." Lance muttered in his ear, rather surprised to the speech that the Aura Guardian had given. "A little old-fashioned... but it sounded as, though, you don't plan to walk out of this battle alive..."

Ash only smiled at him. He then turned his back to Lance and pointed with his sword towards the army of Hoenn. "For Kanto!"

"FOR KANTO!'!'!" Was a great roar that followed him when Ash started to charge down the hill, all the soldiers behind him.

They were close to the enemy, he could see that now. He could see the fear in Hoenn's soldiers' faces when they realized that Kanto had joined forces with Sinnoh...

Yet, the soldiers in red and black lined up with their spears pointing towards Ash and the others, when they came running down the hillside, even though many were hesitant to challenge an Aura Guardian.

The two partners of the Aura looked at each other. Then, when they were five meters from the enemies' spears, they each sent out an Aura Sphere that crashed into their opponents, creating an opening to break into.

"Charge!" He could hear Lance be right behind him.

Ash grabbed his sword with two hands and pointed it straight forward, he then let out a loud roar as he ran straight into Hoenn's lines...

* * *

Melody tried to get to Kanto's soldiers, even though some of them had already broken through. It had been about half an hour since they came to their aid, and Sinnoh's morale was even higher than when they had started the battle.

Now they were finally even in numbers... But Hoenn were in the middle of two attacking armies, it would be impossible for them to form any tactic or defense right now.

The brunette quickly dodged a man in red as he tried to throw himself over her, she pierced him with her spear as soon as he hit the ground.

"Pikachu! Pika-Pi!" The Temple Maiden looked towards the yellow rodent as he came running towards her, enemies fleeing at only the sight of him. "Pika-pika!"

"Pikachu!" Melody was thrilled, the mouse-pokemon had survived the battle! "You're looking for Sir Ash, too?"

"Pika!" The mouse nodded, although the duo then quickly turned their heads towards an explosion, only a couple of meters from them.

* * *

"Good... This is good!" Paul laughed joyfully as he saw the Aura Guardian and his partner blast away more enemies with their Aura. "THIS is great!"

Ash Ketchum slowly turned towards him and watched him with a dead look.

"Dark Aura." He spoke shortly as he slashed through another enemy with his weapon, that had tried to attack him in his back. "Let's skip our little speeches... How about we settle this, once and for all?"

"Yes! THIS is how it should be!" Paul Shinji had started to laugh again. "Come! Let's see who picked the right path of the Aura!"

The two duos only stood there. Ash and Lucario looked very calm and gathered as they slowly breathed... Paul and Weavile looked like they wanted nothing more than to taste the blood of their enemies.

Then, suddenly, both sides quickly sprung into battle.

Blue met red as their weapons clashed and pokemon fired all their attacks at each other. Paul laughed, as if his greatest wish had been fulfilled.

"Those clothes..." Ash muttered, most for himself, as he blocked another one of Paul's swings, he could see his sword now... "Those clothes you're wearing, they don't belong to you."

"So what!'?" The purple-haired man's eyes were wide open as he was being pushed back by the Aura Guardian, smiling all the time. He then took another foothold and broke the lock. "I killed the one wearing them... They're mine now!"

"Dark Auras dresses in the clothes of Aura Guardians they've defeated..." Ash mumbled, once again more to himself than to Paul, as he blocked Weavile's attack and sent a sphere towards Paul, who dodged it. "They're red, because they've been colored in their enemies' blood... isn't that true?"

"You sure know a lot, Ash!" The Dark Aura smiled widely as he started to deal blow after blow towards Ash, who blocked every one of them, his face didn't show any emotion at all. "How about you try it... You want to color your clothes in my blood?"

"It's SIR Ash, for you!" The Aura Guardian kicked him away as Paul stumbled over a corpse. "Get up! We are not finished here."

At the same time as Paul got up, Ash could see Lucario deal a swing with a silvered, long bone to Weavile... The majority of the soldiers around them was wearing blue or silver now.

"How about a test in our strengths, _Sir_ Ash?" Was this only a game for the purple haired man? He didn't seem to care about that they were losing.

"Alright, I'll play along with you." Ash sheathed his sword as he took stance, along with Paul. A sphere, blue and red, appeared each in their hands. The two spheres were sent towards each other and collided, making a giant explosion, Paul to laugh, and Ash to raise an eyebrow.

"It seems as our Auras are about the same level..." It looked as a small smile appeared over Ash's face, but it quickly disappeared as their swords clashed again. "Then it's a test of skills!"

"No!" Paul shook his head violently as he summoned a blood-red shield to block Lucario's attack. "The winner here is the one who has accepted his reasons for this battle!"

"I have no idea what you're saying, and I don't care either." They clashed into a weapon-lock again, the blue hat versus the red, as Ash started to push him back. "There is no reason for this battle! You are here, killing innocent people for your own selfish reasons! And I won't allow you to do it anymore!"

"If you don't realize it, you'll lose!" Paul was happy, but he could be happier... If only the Guardian brought out his full powers... or was this it? "This battle is mine!"

"Let's see who's the winner, then." Ash smirked as he sent a message to Lucario. Then, quickly, they swapped enemies as the Aura Guardian gave Weavile a hard time against his katana... While Lucario could keep up against Paul's sword with his Bone Rush.

The Aura Guardian saw the end, as he started to circle the Weavile... The major difference in Aura Guardians' and Dark Auras' companions is that Dark Auras never trust theirs... While Aura Guardians easily could put their lives in the paws of their partners.

"_**It's time, Lucario.**_" Was the only message Ash sent through.

* * *

"Hurry up, Sir Brock!" Dawn hurried the royal advisor on as they, along with a large group of men, started to break through towards the place where red and blue explosions came. "There's a rumor that an Aura Guardian has brought the army of Kanto here!"

"Wait for me, Queen Dawn!" Brock panted as he still only gripped his small shield with his hands, preferring to use it as a weapon instead of his mace. "If it's truly an Aura Guardian and Dark Aura that battles against each other, there's nothing we can do!"

"There has to be SOMETHING we can do!"

* * *

"_**Understood, master!**_" Lucario answered him as the Aura Guardian now smiled.

"Wea!" Was the terrified sound the pokemon did as it could feel Lucario come from behind, after pushing Paul away.

Lucario brought up his bone-like weapon and smashed it into the back of his opponent, making it cry out in pain once again. Then the jackal-looking pokemon could see his partner drive his katana into the enemy, making it fall lifeless down onto the ground...

"_**Perfect, master!**_" Lucario smiled, it always felt good to defeat a Dark Aura or its partner. "**_Let's now deal with-_**"

"_**Lucario! Look out!**_"

The jackal pokemon turned around and could only watch with big eyes, at the sword that came towards him with an incredible speed.

It felt like slow-motion... The sword came closer and closer... But, then he suddenly felt himself being tackled at the side, very hard. He then flew to the opposite way the impact had felt, making him hit the ground hard and cut himself up on a weapon that laid there, rather badly.

The pokemon coughed as it opened its eyes and gritted his teeth at the pain the axe on the ground had caused his leg. He could now only leave the fighting up to-... "_**MASTER!'!**_"

Ash breathed heavily as he glared at Paul, who had a very surprised and angry look over his face.

"Not again..." Was the only thing that escaped Ash's lips. "I'm not allowing you to hurt... again..."

"You-... You-... FOOL!" The Dark Aura was filled with rage. The Aura Guardian had pushed his pokemon out of its way of Paul's sword, and took it himself! How dared he ruin it all?'! "DAMN FOOL!"

The Dark Aura drew out his sword from Ash's chest and drove it in again, causing the guardian's eyes to shoot up and him to gasp in pain. A burning feeling in his chest...

"Your wounds are lethal, Aura Guardian..." Paul sneered as he took out his sword, making Ash stagger backwards, and turned his back on him, looking for other enemies. "You're dead, any moment... Pathetic..."

Ash, on the other hand, couldn't care less about Paul's words... He couldn't hear anything at all, the sound was gone, even the pain in his wounds... It was a very strange feeling.

_"Alright, Ash, I give up!" Samuel Oak shouted as he got up again. "Where are you?"_

_"Here!" The four years old boy laughed as he jumped down from a tree, landing right on the professor's back._

The raven haired young man fell down onto his knees, his breathing became more and more shallow, it felt... funny...

_"Mommy! I'm back!" The little boy cried out happily as he ran into the rather simple house that he lived in with his mum._

_"Hello, dear!" His very beautiful mother, Delia, smiled at him and knelt down to take him into a hug._

He still gripped his sword hard, his eyes started to slowly look around.

_"Don't mind him." The girl, Leafiona, said as she walked up to Ash, a little too close for the boy's comfort. "Hi! I'm Leaf!"_

Ash's eyes found Mikael, the cook, he had a strange look in his eyes... did he cry...?

_"Hello? Excuse me?" Ash tugged at the man's leg, causing him to look down towards the boy and the pokemon._

_"What are you doing here, kid?" The cook asked with a kind voice._

Lance was next to him... his mouth were open... It seemed as he tried to scream something, but Ash didn't hear him... he didn't hear a thing...

_"Ash, huh?" The voice softened a little. "Shouldn't it be Ashton?"_

_"Nope!" The boy shook his head with a smile. "I like Ash better!"_

The Aura Guardian blinked, he was starting to lose the feeling in his whole body, now... it was very... weird...

_"I haven't..." Ash laughed slightly embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his head. "And call me Ash."_

_"Ash..." Richard smiled. "Call me Ritchie."_

A blond woman... it looked as she tried to get towards him, he could read in her eyes that she didn't recognize him for the distance...

_"How does she do it?" Ash whispered to the captain, as he watched the bluenette be a little too polite..._

_"She's a princess, how do you think?" Cynthia had to stop herself from giggling, since it would totally ruin her image._

What's this...? Brock...? Ash could never have guessed that he would see him here... He'd wanted to laugh, if he had had the strength to do it...

_"Darn it..." Brock mumbled, slightly embarrassed that the mercenary had figured out his secret in just a couple of weeks. "I really should watch what I'm saying."_

_"Yeah, you should." Ash chuckled as he looked at the troubled older man at his side, the guards were starting to close the outer gate for the day._

The former mercenary frowned a bit... He could see the girl with blue hair... He could see that she had recognized him... but why was she screaming something with her eyes filled with tears...?

_Dawn suddenly grabbed him and forced him into a hug, pulling their bodies tight against each other._

_Ash didn't know how to respond, should he stay still, put his arms around her, or push her away? So he simply stood there, stiffened by the blunette's sudden actions._

"_P-Princess, what-" Ash's face was only getting redder as Dawn interrupted him._

"_Shh..." She hushed him. "You are who you are, not what people see you like." She felt that he was going to object. "Don't say anything."_

Nando? What was the bard in brown doing here...? He looked shocked... too shocked...

"_Ash..." The man's musical voice had appeared again as his eyes were filled with new hope. "I will never forget your name, so you may call me Nando. I hope we will meet again."_

Not far from Nando was a girl with brown hair and a spear... Melody? Ash wanted to apologize; After everything he said, it seemed as if he couldn't help her... She had a blank look over her face...

_"I know that." Ash's eyes widened at those words. "Everyone at the island knows that... Why did you think we look up to you that much? Aura Guardians protects even those who treats them badly and with no gratitude expressed whatsoever, they request nothing in payment... That's exactly what a hero is like!"_

Next to her... Pikachu...? Ash had wanted to see him again, one last time... He only wished he looked a little happier, and not like the world had been brought down upon him...

"_Pika-pi... PikaPi?" The rodent coughed with a little voice, it sounded as though it was sneezing. _

"_Me?... I'll... manage..." Ash put a hand on the rodent and pulled him into his chest, hugging him._

He could feel something grab him... he looked and saw a black snout surrounded by blue colors... Lucario...? He looked completely crushed, why did he has tears in his eyes? He tried to tell Ash something... but he couldn't hear... Wait... he could hear...

"_**Master...! Master! Come on, master!**_" The blue jackal-looking pokemon felt a great relive when Ash looked at him. "_**It's going to be alright, master! I'll help you through this! I'm-... I'm sorry, I wasn't strong enough...**_"

"_**Lucario...**_" Ash was too tired to talk with his normal voice, it used all his force with just using communication through Aura, he looked at him with tired eyes... "_**Thank you...**_"

The Aura Guardian could feel his mouth open a bit and he looked up towards the sky, slowly, he was still on his knees.

"_What the hell...?_" He thought as his mouth started to crack up into a smile.

The sky was incredible blue, right now... It was... beautiful...

"_I had a rather good life... Didn't I...?_"

He closed his eyes as he felt himself drift away... whatever this was, it didn't seem too bad...

The last thing he heard, was the sound of his sword that hit the ground...

**End of chapter 19**

* * *

**Well... That's that... I don't really know what to say... I'm sorry? **

**It's such a shame, too... It was really close... I'll display the results of the poll later...**

**Darn... Now I'm a little depressed here... The only question, for the next chapter, that I can come up with is: Who's going to face Paul now?**

**Once again: Thank you, Rayquaza45, for helping me with this chapter (note: He didn't know anything about the ending). **

**I can understand if some of you want to stop reading the story now... But there's only two chapters left, so stick with me... alright? **

**It's better to review later than never, and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter.**

**R&R.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello, again! I hope you're not too mad at me (for... you know...). By the way! I've made the poll's results visible! So make sure to take a look, later. **

**In the previous chapter: Ash, after several drastic events, has finally decided to take up his Aura again! And after venturing to Kanto's capital, to request aid against Hoenn, he finds Leafiona to be alive!  
Then, on the battlefield, he leads the armies of Kanto to the aid of Sinnoh... But after clashing with the Dark Aura, he falls towards his own death, when he tried to save his partner... Will the Dark Aura win everything? Or will the most unexpected hero defeat him...? Only this chapter will tell! **

**I'd like to thank "**ShadowDragoon32**", for correcting this chapter. Since she's not a reader of mine (I think), there was no danger of spoiling any events... But, for the next chapter, my old BetaReader will hopefully be back! **

**Right, I think you're rather curious of what's going to happen (if you even bothered reading this A/N)... So how about we get started?**

**I hope you'll enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review at the end of it!**

**R&R!  
**

* * *

A soft wind blowing ever so slightly, a clear blue sky... Where had the noise of war gone?

A young man with long raven black hair and the clothes of an Aura Guardian looked around. Where was he?

Tall, green grass. An ocean not far from him. What kind of birds were flying in the sky?

"Where... am I...?" Ash Aaron Ketchum frowned a bit as he continued to look around. "Did I dream everything... or is this a dream? No, that's impossible."

He moved his arms a little, and noticed that his wounds were completely gone.

"What...? How can this-..." His eyes shot up as he felt his face, the place where his scar would be. His eyes softened a bit when he couldn't feel it. "I see... So I did really die..."

He let out a sigh and turned around, even his boots seemed to be clean, for some reason. Another soft wind blew in his face.

"So... This is the place where I will spend how many eternities...?" He chuckled a bit to himself, but it was so empty. "I guess this isn't too bad..."

"Are you sure about that, Ashton?" The former mercenary's eyes shot up as he heard a voice... He could never forget the sound of that voice.

"King Giovanni?'!" Ash's mouth dropped when he saw the person stand next to the former king. "Sir-... Sir... Riley...?"

"Hello, Ash." Riley nodded at him with a big smile. "There's no need for the honorifics here. In this place, there's no ruler."

"I-... I-..." The young man closed his eyes, and then opened them and seemed to regain his composure. "Are you the most precious people who are supposed to meet me, to take me to the next life...? I WAS really lonely, wasn't I...?"

"Quiet! You troublesome child!" It was truly the real Giovanni, his temper hadn't changed a bit. Riley only laughed. "You should be thankful that we even met up with you! I wouldn't mind leaving you to wander aimlessly here for all eternity!"

"I know. And I am thankful for that." A smile appeared on the young Aura Guardian's face as he spoke those words. "I can't begin to describe how good it is to see you again."

"Same here, Ash." The older Aura Guardian nodded in agreement of his former apprentice's words. "But still... To think that you were defeated by a Dark Aura... Twice! You really didn't listen to me!"

"You're the last one that's supposed to say that!" Ash shot back as he corrected his hat. "At least I survived one time-..." He then got serious. "Besides... His Aura... I can't believe the strength of it..."

"Truly, it was really strong." Riley sighed as Giovanni looked very confused. "Oh, well. You did your best, and you lost. You can't win them all! How about continuing your journey here?"

"I can...?" The raven haired young man sent them a confused look. "Not to sound ungrateful or anything... But this seems a little too good for me... Aren't I suppose to be at a place that's a little... warmer...?"

"Who knows?" Riley shrugged his shoulders. "I wasn't really a saint in my life either... But this place isn't so bad. I'm feeling much younger, too!"

Truly, Ash suddenly noticed it. Riley had been around around his forties when he died... But now, it seemed as he was more in his late twenties! His wrinkles were gone, his hair, reminiscent of Ash's, was dark black with no streaks of gray... He too was wearing his Aura Guardian uniform, but no sword... Ash noticed that his weapon was gone too.

Giovanni looked much younger as well. His hairline, that had been rather far away when he was alive, had been brought forth. His hair was shining with a clear brown color and his face seemed much more energetic. He, too, was wearing the same clothes he died in... But there were no signs of rents, tears, or blood in them... They looked brand new.

"Just to make one thing sure..." He cleared his throat a bit, only to notice that he didn't need it. "I AM dead, right? It's not some semiconscious crap that's only happening inside of my head?"

"No, you are truly dead." Giovanni crossed his arms; it seemed as if he was getting impatient. "You haven't changed a bit, Ashton... You still refuse to listen to me, after all this time?"

"Well..." The youngest man chuckled with a troubled sound, as he scratched the back of his head. "I can't say I really did learn to listen to people, after you had passed away..."

"You still are at each other's throats?" Riley shook his head with a disappointed look over his face. "You'd think that dying would solve it all... Are you ready to come with us now, Ash?"

"Yeah..." There was a slight hesitation in his voice, but he continued to walk with them. "By the way... What about the war?"

"What makes you think we can see in the future?" The former king sneered a bit at the young man's naivety. But then he got a softer look on his face. "Don't worry. With you taking down so many enemies, and the reinforcement from Kanto... the war's as good as over!"

"I'm still feeling a little guilty..." Ash was surprised, that the ground didn't feel like anything under his feet... yet he could see that he walked on it. "I mean, I'd finally decided to train Melody in the ways of the Aura... It feels a little bad to leave everything up to Lucario."

"Not only Melody!" Riley corrected him with a proud smile. "My child, Elizabeth, too! Don't deny that you couldn't feel a strong Aura from her!"

"I was too surprised to really measure it..." Ash muttered, his face had been smacked with a look of guilt. "I'm sorry... for not being able to tell your wife-... You know..."

"There's no harm done." Riley put a hand on the younger one's head, only to notice that Ash was taller than him. "I, too, should apologize then. After all, it seems Aya didn't name her 'Delia'!"

"I don't blame her." Ash sent a weak smile towards him, Giovanni looked like he was completely left out. "I understand her frustration... If she had named the child after anyone in my family, she'd had been painfully reminded of what happened."

"Well, it's at least good we cleared that up!" Riley seemed too cheerful, was it an effect of this place? Ash couldn't wait to try it out. "By the way... There is one thing I never understood..."

"What's that?" Ash got a confused look, especially since Giovanni suddenly seemed interested again.

"Queen Dawn, Queen Leafiona or Lady Melody... which one would you've chosen?" Ash's eyes narrowed a bit, not enough to make Riley and Giovanni to notice.

"I-..." The former mercenary closed his eyes once again as he took a big sigh. Then he opened them and answered honestly. "...have no idea what you mean."

The two men at his side fell down anime-style.

"Eight years!" Giovanni groaned in disappointement. "Eight years, and you still haven't changed!"

"On the contrary." Ash corrected him with a calm smile. "After all these years, I've understood that you shouldn't compare different people with-... what?"

"Nothing... nothing at all..." The older Aura Guardian muttered with a sullen voice as they continued to walk onto the strange road, that seemed to lead to a much brighter place. "The only thing that I thought I didn't need to teach you, seemed to be the thing you needed the most..."

Ash Ketchum only sent out a light snort as he ignored the older man's confusing words.

They were coming closer and closer... It seemed like a place that was surrounded with white fences... But he couldn't see what was inside, since it was a bright, white light.

"Are we supposed to enter that?" The youngest asked with a slight frown, not fully believing that it'd be a good idea to walk into the light. "What's on the other side?"

"Honestly?" Riley could see the young man nod. "I have no idea. It's not a thing that's so easy to describe... The easiest way to explain it, would probably be that all your pains and problems will disappear."

"Well..." A small smile appeared on Sir Ash Aaron Ketchum's face. "That doesn't seem too bad..."

"Not bad at all." The former king put a hand on his shoulder. It was warm and comforting. "Are you ready?"

"Let's go." The young Aura Guardian nodded, with his eyes closed, as they began to walk into the gate.

* * *

_Shortly after Sir Ash Aaron Ketchum's death... On the battlefield..._

* * *

"Stop resisting, Queen Dawn!" Brock shouted as he tried to drag her away from there. "It's too dangerous, to stay so close to the front-lines!"

"NO!" She tried to struggle herself free from her advisor's and another soldier's grip, only to fail to do so. "Let me go! Ash! Ash's hurt!"

"Even if it was my own mother, I still wouldn't let you go!" Dawn stopped struggling as she saw tears pour down the squint-eyed man's eyes. "I WON'T let you endanger yourself! I know Sir Ash would've done the same thing!"

"Ash..." Dawn was about to sink down onto her knees, only to be supported by her advisor. She then let out a scream that was so painful that it filled her soldiers with a will to take revenge on their enemies. "ASH!"

* * *

"Push the line forward!" The red haired man panted for several reasons, and one was the thing he'd just witnessed. "Don't let them reach the Aura Guardian!"

His men let out a great roar as some literary threw themselves over Hoenn's soldiers, trying everything to push them back.

"Ash!" Lance had finally arrived to the raven haired young man. "Ash! Get a grip on yourself!"

His eyes widened at the coldness of boy's body... He didn't breath...

"No..." He gripped the body tighter. "No... it can't be... You... You were finally back... Ash! Wake up!"

He started to shake the body roughly, his breathing increased at the same time as his heartbeat. But he suddenly stopped as he felt a soft hand onto his shoulder.

"There is nothing we can do for him, soldier of Kanto." He slowly looked over his shoulder, only to see a very beautiful and sad woman with blond hair. "It was because of him, that we'll win today... Let's at least respect his final moment."

"Sir Ash...?" The two people looked towards the sound of the voice, only to find a young woman with brown hair and a spear. "What's... What's wrong...? Why does he lie there? He's going to defeat the Dark Aura, right...? Lucario... you two are going to win this... right?"

The pokemon didn't listen to her. He only looked at his master's body with a sad look, tears flowing from his eyes... Although, the tears wasn't for the death of his master.

"PikaPi!" The rodent had finally manage to get towards his partner. Pikachu wasn't hurt that badly, only a couple of scrapes here and there and a small cut in his tail. ""PikaPi!"

"Pika...Pi...?" He slowly walked towards Ash's body, that was still in Lance's arms. Carefully, the rodent put a paw on the former mercenary's face, as if trying to poke him back to life. "PikaPi...? PikaPi...? PikaPi...? PikaPi!"

His small, red pouches on his cheeks started to spark, as if trying to shock his partner back to life. But he stopped as he felt the blue jackal's paw onto his back.

"Cario..." The tears still didn't stop flowing as he slowly explained for the rodent. "Lucario, cario lu-car."

"Pika-chu! PikaPi pika-pika chu! Pikachu-pipika!" The rodent shot back, refusing to believe his long-time friend's words. "PIKA!"

"It's..." The singing voice of the man in brown was completely gone, as he slowly walked towards the group of people. Then, he spoke the words that so many of them realized, but refused to believe. "It's... over..."

Lance and Cynthia closed their eyes even harder, as trying to escape from this nightmare... this wasn't how it should've ended! The words finally melted into Melody's mind as she slowly fell down onto her knees, her eyes still refusing to leave Ash's body. Pikachu let out a cry of desperation as he threw himself onto his former partner and clung to him, as if trying to keep him with them.

Then the rodent slowly turned its little head towards the screaming of people. He could see soldiers, from both sides, get blasted away from a man dressed in black and red.

A great anger came over the rodent, an anger that he had never felt the like of. Only one thing appeared in his little mind: "Kill."

"PIKAAA!" was the scream the rodent let out as it launched itself toward the direction Paul was fighting in.

"Stop!" The old man gritted his teeth as he embraced the little rodent, that had unintentionally already started to let out several dangerous lightnings. "Hnng!... Wait, Pikachu! Get back to your senses! Ash wouldn't want you to throw away your life like this!"

At the name of Pikachu's PikaPi, he immediately stopped trying to get his revenge and looked at the old man with brown hair. Mikael only smiled sadly back at him.

"A being without a strong Aura can't defeat him..." The old cook seemed to force the tears back into his eyes. "This isn't over... trust me..."

"Pi...ka..." The rodent slowly nodded as the tears poured freely down from its little face.

The man carried the Pikachu back to the body of Ash, where he too sunk down onto his knees.

"Lucario." The old man's serious voice made the jackal-pokemon look towards him. "Are you ready?"

"Cario." The Aura user nodded with a determined look, tears still pouring down from his eyes.

"'Ready'...?" Lance gulped down his sadness and looked at them. "What are you talking about?"

"As I said: This isn't over." Sweat was starting to slightly appear on the face of Mikael as he looked at the partner of Ash. "Aura is everything. It's stones, trees, water, emotions... life..."

"How-... How do you know that...?" Melody knew those things, of course. She had been forced to study everything non-Aura users knew about the Aura, to be ready for her task... But still, those things aren't knowledge everyone possess. "Who are you?"

"A long time ago... I found a little Riolu..." He noticed Melody's eyes shoot up and decided to not linger with unnecessary things. "To make a long story short: I was being taught the ways of the Aura, even though I've a very weak one... However, my pokemon was killed by a Dark Aura before I achieved the title 'Aura Guardian', and that made me unable to continue the development of my power... Isn't that right, Lucario?"

"Cario." The pokemon nodded, his eyes still refusing to leave his former master. Truly, Ash and he had discussed why the old cook had a slightly stronger Aura than the rest of the normal people... But this explained it.

"It's time, Partner of the Aura Guardian." Mikael's old eyes didn't show any kind of joke or joy in them, he was dead-serious. "I can help you on the way, but you need to fulfill your duty!"

"Cario!" Melody suddenly realized... But her old sadness was now replaced with a new one...

"What are you talking about?" Lance and Cynthia, who didn't have any knowledge in Aura apart from the basic, asked with irritated voices. "There's still a war being fought around us! We need to get him to safety!"

"In exchange for money, you get food..." Everyone looked at the brunette who only stared at the young Aura Guardian's body. "In exchange of water, a plant grows... and in exchange of a life, another one can be brought anew..."

"Cario." The pokemon nodded as he now stood over Ash, who was lying on the cold ground. He took his paws together and formed a slightly blue orb... But it was neither an Aura Sphere or a shield, it seemed much...purer... "Luu... cario!"

Pikachu suddenly realized it. He wanted to tell him to stop, but he couldn't... Before, Lucario hadn't cried over the death of his master... He had cried over that he'd never be able to meet him again...

The pokemon gritted its teeth as he felt his life-energy drift away from him... But he didn't regret a thing. This was the duty of a pokemon of the Aura, who survived if his master didn't. Soon, it seemed as his whole body started to shine bright blue, a big exhaustion started to appear over him.

Then, he felt the burden become lighter. He looked right to him and saw Mikael stand next beside him, sweat and tears pouring down from his face.

"Lu... cario...?" Mikael only looked at him with a reassuring smile, his eyes filled with pain. The pokemon was surprised to see that the old cook had gotten so far in his training, before his pokemon was killed... But he figured that a little help before his end wasn't so bad.

The orb in front of them grew bigger and bigger, it had turned a little whiter when Mikael joined in. But soon the orb was surrounding Ash, and it seemed as the dirt and blood was being pushed away from his body. His wounds began to close up, but the pain became greater and greater for the two Aura users who summoned the orb.

The people around them could only see them stand there in pain, knowing that they couldn't do a single thing to help them.

"Lucario..." A small smile appeared on the old cook's face as he saw the pokemon look at him. "I can take it over from here... Let go..."

"Lu? Lucario! Lu-cario!" The pokemon quickly shook his head. Then, suddenly, they were forced down onto one knee as they felt their energy disappear. "CARIO!

"LET GO!" he shouted at the pokemon. "Ash still needs you! You need each other! You two are going to be the final frontier against the Dark Auras! You CAN'T afford to DIE!"

"Lu... Lucar..." The pokemon gritted his teeth as he felt tears leave his eyes. He knew the cook was right, but he still didn't want to leave it solely up to him... But he agreed as he threw himself backwards with a loud roar. "LUCARIOO!"

"Good..." The brown haired cook, with the same color on his eyes, smiled as he felt the end of his life run out... It didn't feel painful anymore... "I'll... see you again..."

* * *

"Gah!" The former Guardian's eyes shot up as he grabbed his chest, he fell down onto both of his knees. "This-... This is-..."

"Ash! What's wrong?" Riley got down on one knee as he grabbed his shoulder, trying to shake him back to his senses. "Is something the matter?'!"

"My-... My chest... It feels..." Another sharp pain appeared, it felt like it was burning... Then, the pain eased a bit as he started to pant. "What... is this...?"

"I don't know." Giovanni helped him up on his feet, a troubled look over his face. "I've never heard of anything like that... Not that I'm an expert on life after death, or anything like that."

"Maybe- Just maybe..." A thought suddenly struck Riley. "They're trying to bring you back to life...?"

"What do you-..." Ash suddenly realized what he meant, also how they would do it. "No... I refuse! Those fools! Why would Lucario sacrifice himself for me?'!"

"Because you would do it for him." Riley sent him a small smile. It seemed, somehow, as the bright light was moving away from them. "But, it's still up to you."

"What do you mean?" The pain was becoming smaller and smaller, but the light became farther and farther away.

"You can chose to accept his life-energy... or to not do it... But-"

"Then it's easy. I refuse." The Aura Guardian answered with determination as he started to walk back towards the light. "Anyone who's prepared to die for me is a big fool. I am the LAST one that deserves another chance."

"You didn't let me finish." Riley sent him a sad look. "If you refuse to accept it, BOTH of you will stay here."

"WHAT?'!" This was the first time, in a long time, that Ash had sent out such a big outburst. "What are you talking about? You're lying!"

"I am afraid not... That's why so many Aura users don't dare to do it." A weak smile appeared in the corner of the older Aura Guardian's mouth. "However, the choice is still up to you."

"I agree." Giovanni nodded as he walked up, next to Riley. "It's your choice, and nobody will blame you for what you want."

"My choice, huh...?" In front of him, was Riley and Giovanni, along with the bright, warm and inviting light. And behind him was an endless dark road that seemed to only lead to regret. "So I have two options...? Either I stay here, where there's no pain whatsoever and everyone will live happily? I'll also reunite with my mother and father?"

"Right." Riley nodded, proving his words were true.

"On the other hand... If I go back, I'll only face death and despair, people who refuse to forgive me for killing someone they loved or letting them die... The harsh reality, in other words." A smile appeared over his face. "The choice is so easy, that it's ridiculous."

"I agree, Ashton." Giovanni nodded as he made a motion for him to come with them. "Let's go, your mother has waited for over 14 years to see you."

"Sorry." The former king got an empty look over his face as he saw the retreating back of the young man. "I've never been much for happy endings, anyway."

"You are..." Riley had to force himself not to laugh at the ironic action of his former pupil. "You are truly stupid, Ash!"

"What can I say...?" He only turned his head a bit and looked back at them, a small smile plastered on his face, continuing to walk towards the dark path. "I learned from the best!"

"I'll see you soon, my stupid apprentice!" Riley shouted at him, and chuckled a bit as he saw that Giovanni had started to cry again.

Ash only raised his right hand, as he was starting to be engulfed by the darkness.

* * *

It was completely dark, a very depressing change from the former warmth and inviting light... Yet, the Aura Guardian kept walking the path, not knowing what he would face.

Then, suddenly, he was starting to see the silhouette of a person... The closer he came, the more he could see.

A man, slightly shorter than Ash. He was looking rather crooked in the back, evidence that he was of old age. Somehow, Ash could see his brown and gray hair in the dark-... Wait...

"Old man!'?" Ash's eyes widened as he saw the cook. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think? I'm changing places with you!" He seemed WAY too happy to be someone who had recently given up his life. "How have you been doing? Is the food good here?"

"Are you completely mad!" Once again, Ash more stated than asked it. "Why the Ho-Oh would you give your life up for me?'! How could you even do it?'! Are you really an Aura User?"

"Never mind that... Instead of asking why I should... Let' say this: Why shouldn't I?" He smiled, it was pretty clear he was amused by the young man's frustration. "I have, what? Five? Ten years left to live? What can I do during that time? Cook for some old noble that can barely wipe his own-... Never mind."

Ash only felt more and more angered, as it looked like the old cook wasn't even serious about this.

"You, on the other hand!" It seemed as Mikael finally decided to stop playing around, as he pointed at the Aura Guardian with a determined look. "You can achieve SO much! You posses a strength that so many wish for, but only a chosen few gets. Sure, you can continue to whine about how 'Everyone hates me and wants me dead, blah, blah, blah'... But how about you CHANGE it? You ARE a Guardian of the Aura! You defend those in need and protect everyone from the grips of Dark Auras! We can't AFFORD you to die just like that!"

"And..." A small smile appeared over Ash's face. "And here I thought I was stupid... It seems like you're the biggest idiot of all."

"Well, I gotta be something, since the king hired me!" Mikael had started to laugh as he walked towards the young man. "Now, go back and send that Dark Aura-guy here, so I can beat him up!"

"Got it." A big smirk appeared on his face as Mikael placed his hand onto Ash's shoulder, a bright light appeared and Ash felt himself being pulled away. "Save me a seat, back there. Will you?"

"Got it." Mikael had started to laugh again as he saw a bright passage open up for him, and Ash was starting to disappear from the place. "Good luck!"

* * *

Paul growled as he crashed his red Aura Sphere into another soldier. Why were they so weak? Why couldn't that Aura Guardian had lived at least a little longer? It didn't feel satisfying at all! To Kanto with ruling a region... The only thing he ever desired was the blood of his enemies. But... but... Why didn't it feel like enough!'?

"You!" He narrowed his eyes into the man with brown beard, who spoke that word, he seemed rather strong... "Killing your own allies... Have you no honor?'!"

"Are you... powerful...?" Was this man able to get him excited? The Aura Guardian had been so close to get his adrenalin back pumping... "Are you enough...?"

"Hoenn if I know..." Byron growled as he drew his sword, he had lost his shield a time ago. "But you're not going to get pass me that easily!"

Paul laughed as he killed the man next to him, with his sword, not caring which side he was on... This man's courage was interesting!

"Come. Let's see if you got what it takes." He pointed his sword towards the bearded man.

"RAAH!'!" Byron let out a mighty shout as he charged the Dark Aura, he felt satisfied as he saw him become startled... However, that satisfying feeling soon disappeared as he was knocked out by the Dark Aura, a moment later...

A wave of energy had hit the purple-haired man as he looked wildly around, his eyes grew bigger and bigger as Paul's heart-rate increased slightly... Such powerful Aura he was feeling... Where did it come from? The girl with brown hair? No... Not enough... The Lucario? No... He, too wasn't strong enough... This was the same as before... This was...

"Ash Aaron Ketchum..." A big smile appeared on his face as he saw countless masses of blue energy leak out from a certain place.

* * *

The young Aura Guardian felt his body twitch slightly, he was feeling pain again... However, this was only the pain from lying on the hard ground, he couldn't feel the pain of his wounds anymore... He slowly opened his eyes and saw yet again the blue sky, whose clouds seemed to have been painted red by the color of blood.

"No way..." He recognized the startled voice of Lance, he could also see him leaning over him. "You're... alive...?"

The young man didn't say anything. He only got up from the ground and looked around.

Truly, there laid Mikael... He looked at peace now, a small smile on his face. Ash would soon join him again, he didn't need to worry. "_Thank you... old man..._"

Pikachu looked like the greatest wish in his life had been fulfilled, he couldn't help but beam with a smile of happiness towards his newly revived partner.

Cynthia, on the other hand, looked completely lost. It seemed as she still waited for the curtain to fall and everyone tell her that this was nothing but a big joke... She did look, however, very relieved.

Nando only looked at Ash with a big smile as he was preparing his crossbow, ready to throw himself back into the battle again with renewed strength.

"_**Ma-Master... Welcome back...**_" Ash looked slowly towards the jackal-pokemon, he panted as he stood next to him. "_**I... can't tell you how much of a relief this is... I'm ready to fight alongside you, once again!**_"

"_**Rest, Lucario.**_" The Aura Guardian only put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him down onto the ground. His partner's strength was completely drained, so he fell down almost as soon as Ash placed his hand on him. "_**I'll take it over from here... You have my thanks, my friend.**_"

Then, he bent down and picked up his katana, Nami Shirube, and started to walk towards the place he felt the Dark Aura's evil wave of energy come from.

"Ash-..." Melody halted herself in her words, as the Aura Guardian looked at her. "_His eyes... They're... They're... Blue...?_"

"_**Rest assured, Melody.**_" Her eyes widened as she, for the first time, heard the guardian communicate to her through Aura. "_**This is over your head... Leave it to me.**_"

The brunette shook her head, she'd seen what the Dark Aura could do. Ash would surely lose again, she couldn't allow it!

The Temple Maiden was about to grab Ash's arm... However, she quickly started to step back when an enormous pressure hit her. Melody backed away as she felt the invisible waves of energy emit from Ash as he looked towards the Dark Aura. She didn't know everything about the Aura yet, but she did know this: Ash was pissed.

"You-... How can-..." Paul, on the other hand, had a mix of fear and happiness written all over his face. "You died... I'm sure of it... Bastard!... Who are you?'!"

"Me...?" It seemed as a shadow laid over Ash's face as he pulled out Nami Shirube from its sheet, Paul responded by doing the same action with Nami Kuchiku. "Had you asked me that a long time ago, I hadn't been able to answer honestly... Now, however..."

He pointed the tip of his katana towards Paul, they were ten meters from each other. Blue energy started to leak out from the raven haired warrior and his sword.

"...I am Sir Ash Aaron Ketchum, The Aura Guardian!" The power of the young man's words made his opponent back away slightly. "In the name of the Aura... Paul Shinji, I won't allow your actions anymore... I hereby sentence you to death!"

"'Allow'...?" The purple haired man started to laugh loudly, his fear had already disappeared. Soldiers from both sides stopped their fighting, only to look at the two soon-to-be combatants. "So you still don't realize it...? Go on, tell me your little speech of how 'The power of friendship or love' will make you victorious... I'm listening!"

"'Friendship'? 'Love'? No... That has nothing to do with it..." The former mercenary, and now Aura Guardian shook his head, the dark look still over his face. "Those childish ideas don't help you win a battle, only hasten your own death... There is only ONE reason to why I came back to life..." He started to walk slowly towards him. "Only ONE reason to why I regained my Aura... Only ONE reason to why I am standing here right now..."

"And...?" Paul, too, had started to walk towards the Aura Guardian. "What's that reason?"

"To be able to eliminate EVERY Dark Aura in my PATH!" Ash roared the last word as he took a giant leap towards Paul, he did the same, and let their swords lock together with a clash. "You have disturbed the flow of the Aura for too long!"

"The flow of the Aura...? What's wrong with that?" Paul laughed loudly as he jumped back and summoned a pure red Aura Sphere. "There's no need to take up emitting Auras from nature, like you do... The only necessary source is from the life of another being!"

As soon as he threw his sphere, a blue shield was summoned around Ash. Both Aura Users' eyes widened at the impact... Their Auras were equally strong...

"DIE! Aura Guardian!" It seemed as it would be a battle with swords, as they clashed once again. Ash growled dangerously as Paul's eyes were widened with happiness. "Yes... YES! THIS is how it should be!"

"Your life has no reason..." Ash smashed the handle of his sword into Paul's face, as he broke their weapon-lock. The slightly older man staggered back as he glared at him, a smile still over his face. "There's no use, trying to tell the likes of you what you've been doing wrong..."

"You think WE are the ones doing wrong...?" Paul licked the blood from his lip, as he took another stance and pointed his sword towards Ash. "We? It's YOU who are the ones in the wrong! It's YOU who hunts down everyone who tries to learn about the Aura in another way than your own! It's YOU who deserves the be eliminated! All we want is freedom!"

"Freedom to take the lives of innocent..." Ash sheathed his sword and took a new stance, planning to use the speed of un-sheeting his weapon to his own attack. "Very well... It's the winner of this battle, that will write the history!"

Paul started to run towards him with a crazy look over his face. The Aura Guardian stood there calmly, his right hand on his katana's handle and the other one on his sheet. He came closer and closer... And, when he was one meter away with his sword, Ash drew.

It seemed as thought sparks of blue appeared out of his sword as he smashed it into Paul's, breaking his stance. Different colors and tones of red and blue appeared when their swords made contact, as it looked like even the two weapons seemed to try and kill each other.

A small explosion appeared from the swords, forcing the two combatants back. Both were not even letting the other one go, locked by their glares.

* * *

Melody's eyes widened even more. Such display of power... Was this a true battle between an Aura Guardian and a Dark Aura? It was truly frightening...

"Amazing..." She glanced at the bard in brown, who seemed to have gotten a small cut in his right arm. He, too, was stunned by the scene of skill. "Is... Is this really a battle between two mortal men?"

"Yes... It is..." The brunette only watched as Ash bent his back slightly backwards, making Paul's sword miss his throat by millimeters. "It's a battle for the Aura..."

"A battle for the Aura...?" Nando, who was the Aura Guardian's friend, yet still always eager to gather material for his stories, stopped watching the battle for a moment. Even though at that moment Paul delivered a kick in Ash' stomach, sending him flying. "What are you talking about, Miss Melody?"

"As they said before..." Melody, on the other hand, didn't even for a second let the battle go with her eyes. Ash had just gotten up and threw a sphere towards Paul, who blocked it with his own. The whole ring of soldiers backed away from the wave of power that came against them, when the two attacks collided. "The winner writes the history... This is a battle that will decide the true path of the Aura..."

"But, Ash will win... Isn't that right?" Nando started to get a slight headache, since one eye watched Melody and another eye watched the two sword clash again with blue and red colors. "He's an Aura Guardian, after all!"

"I-... EVERYONE! BACK AWAY!'!" The brunette had feared that it would come to this... She had read about this in countless of books, and the soldiers seemed to listen to her as they backed away from the fight... It seemed as thought Ash was starting to glow slightly blue, while Paul was getting a red color around himself, they both seemed to be convinced of what they were doing. This was... "The Rage of Two Competing Aura Keepers..."

* * *

"ASH!/PAUL!" Was the thing the two combatants screamed simultaneously. Then, a second later, their swords clashed...

A big explosion, bigger than the one from before, erupted between the two swords, enveloping the Dark Aura, Aura Guardian, the ground beneath them, plants, bushes and even some soldiers that stood unfortunately too close.

The explosion died down a second later and only showed Sir Ash Ketchum and Paul Shinji, nothing else... Even the grass under them had disappeared.

Soldiers started to back away even more, clearly not wanting to get involved with those two monsters.

Ash put both of his hands onto his sword as his teeth gritted against each other. This feeling... He felt so much hate, so much will to destroy him, he wanted nothing more than to drive his sword through his heart... Yet, he felt a small feeling of pleasure...

The onlookers could easily see that Paul and Ash weren't any longer in this world, they were no longer on the battlefield... They were simply using their Aura to the fullest with only one thing in their mind – to make their opponent disappear from the earth...

"To fuse their swords with so much Aura to create those explosions... Yet, to have enough to shield their very own bodies... Those two are on a whole other level than an ordinary Aura User..." Melody felt shivers down her back as she watched them clash again, scratches appeared all over their bodies and faces as pure energy leaked through their shields and hit them. "They no longer cares about the war or anything else, only to destroy the other..."

"How come..." Nando didn't even look at the Maiden anymore; he simply couldn't let a moment of the battle escape his gaze. It seemed as though they had changed from blows of power, to quick and precise attacks instead, making following the swords impossible for any mortal man to do so. "What makes them hate each other so much...?"

"No matter how much I hate to admit it..." Melody gulped as she felt tears build up in her eyes, she could read the anger and sorrow in their blows. "Dark Auras and Aura Guardians are two sides of the same coin... Both of us can't face up at the same time, that's why we are forced to battle... It has always been, and will always be, in their nature... They can't coexist, yet they can't exist without the other..."

The people around started to watch with horror, the land around the two Aura Users were being completely annihilated... Even if the soldiers of Hoenn had started to retreat before, they stayed and couldn't help but watch in awe as the long-haired young man with raven black hair battled the middle-length haired man of a purple color... But, what scared them the most was...

They were both smiling...

"You pathetic Dark Auras..." Ash growled with a dark smile over his face, he had started to pant heavily and felt his powers were about to run out. Blood dripped over a bit of his left eye. "You never learn, do you...?"

"Foolish Aura Guardians..." Paul grinned widely, even though he had lost his middle- and ring-finger on his left hand. "To think that you waste this great power to protect weaklings... People who can't care for themselves are better off dead!"

"People who are obsessed with power are better off dead!" Ash roared as their weapons clashed again. Giant waves of blue and red energy flowed around them as they circled each other, their weapons still locked. "Giovanni...! Agatha...! Richard...! Cyrus...! Johanna...! RILEY!'!"

He let his sword go, with his left hand, and delivered a hard punch in Paul's face. Paul staggered back and Ash gritted his teeth, since he'd damaged his hand when he broke through Paul's shield.

"Let's end this, Guardian of the Aura!" Paul growled as he dropped his sword onto the ground, putting his hands together. "No more games with swords... No hand-to-hand combat..."

"...Only a test of raw power..." Ash smiled calmly with a dark shadow over his face, as he sheathed his sword and put his hands together. "Sounds amusing! Let's do it!"

In both of their hands, two different orbs appeared. Ash's shone pure blue with a slight hint of white. Paul's, on the other hand, was red like death and even non-Aura users could feel the evil waves emitting from it.

Yet, they didn't throw them at each other... They only stood there, sweat appearing on their faces as their spectators watched with their hearts in their throats.

Soon, the orbs were as big as their heads. Then they started to move slowly towards each other, still keeping their hands the same way. Their slow walk turned faster, only to become a sprint.

"DIE! AURA GUARDIAN!'!" Paul roared for all his worth as he brought his hands forward and a small hint of red surrounded his body.

"Disappear, Dark Aura!" Ash growled loudly as he met Paul's red orb with his blue, also engulfing himself in his own color, making both their eyes widen.

During the first second, not a thing happened...

Then, a bright light, a color on it which people had never seen before...

A big explosion, sending many of the onlookers falling onto the ground.

Smoke... Very thick smoke. It made many back away, since only the look of it made some tremble.

The dust and smoke died then down slowly and showed a scorched ring onto the ground, fifteen meters in diameter, no vegetation were left inside of that area. The only thing that remained was two beings, one dressed in red and the other in blue.

They had the same position, both kind of leaning against the other... Paul's left hand was around Ash's neck, as he had his right put onto the Aura Guardian's chest. Ash was in a similar position, since his right hand was too in the middle of Paul's chest, and his left hand gripped his throat... Yet, it didn't seem as Ash's grip on Paul's throat was tight enough to suffocate him...

Then, suddenly, Ash opened his mouth and coughed up blood, it felt as if his innards had been completely crushed...

"This... isn't over..."

The young Aura Guardian looked slowly at the Dark Aura, who had a very empty look on his face.

"We... will prevail... In the end..."

Paul could feel the grip tight on his throat as he looked down, Ash was smirking slightly, blood was in the corner of his mouth.

"I... curse you... Aura... Guardian..." Then, the purple haired man fell back and collapsed onto the ground, showing a wide hole in his chest...

Ash started to breath heavily now, since the fight was over. He looked at the slightly older man with pity... he shouldn't have let go of his weapon...

Then, Ash suddenly remembered where he was... He looked around only to see people watch in amazement at him, not knowing if they should cheer for or fear him...

But the man in blue hat and clothes simply put a hand onto his sheathed katana and drew it.

"VICTORY!" was the single word he could muster to shout, as he pointed the tip of his sword high into the air.

Slowly, but surely, the people around started to cheer... Soon, the whole battlefield was echoing with cries of happiness, relief, and weapons smashing together. The soldiers of Hoenn were fleeing, once they realized that the battle was lost, and the others didn't even bother to give chase.

Ash felt a satisfying feeling wash over him, as he also felt his leg give in.

The Aura Guardian was about to fall, only to be supported by a familiar brunette.

"You won, Sir Ash... You won!" She looked so happy, like her biggest wish in the world had been fulfilled.

"I won...? No..." He shook his head and made a weak motion towards the battlefield. "Does this look like a total victory to you...?"

Melody followed his pointing and saw all those dead bodies, bloodied weapons, and injured soldiers who still laid on the battlefield. So much death and suffering... It then struck her that the soldiers didn't cheer because they'd won the battle... They celebrated that they had survived it.

"There is no such thing as a true victor in war..." His breathing had slowed down a bit. "As long as your friends and comrades in arms die, there's no complete victory... That's one of the first things I'll teach you, as your teacher..."

"M-My teacher...?" Melody's eyes widened at the slightly soft smile over Ash's face, he looked so tired. "Do you really mean it? You'll really teach me the ways of the Aura? Does-... Does this mean that it's... over...?"

"Yes, the war between Sinnoh and Hoenn is over..." Ash looked up to the sky with a grim look over his face, yet he could see a small ray of light appear from the dark clouds. "However... The War of the Aura, has just begun..."

**End of chapter 20**

* * *

**Right... I think I've some explaining to do... So before you tell me, that I've lied and everything... let me just continue the unfinished sentences from the chapter before:**

**"Well... That's that... I don't really know what to say... I'm sorry?"- I know, that I shouldn't trick you... but I can't help it :/**

**"****It's such a shame, too... It was really close..."- to be zero voters, on those who wished Ash to die... "I'll display the results of the poll later...**"

**Remember that the poll said: "Will Ash survive, IN THE END of "The Aura is With the Forgotten"?" Did the story end at chapter 19? I think not!  
So I didn't change it, because of the reviews... it was my plan all along, when I saw that the results said 50 to 0 ^^**

** I have to admit, that it was rather amusing to see all those certain "Ash will never die"-reviews... only to be replaced with "No! You killed him!"-ones... I'd lie, if I said that I didn't find it amusing (and to answer your question/statement: Yes. I am a jerk. :D)**

**Still... I'm rather surprised, that nobody suspected something like this... Didn't you watch the Pokemon Movie with Lucario and Sir Aaron? I know that it was DYING... but why wouldn't it work if we stretched it a little...?  
**

**How about a question for the last chapter?  
_Question_: Finally Ash, Pikachu and Lucario are together again... but what do YOU think, will happen between those three?  
**

**And I know that I told some, who messaged me, that he was dead... but I NEVER denied, that he should come back!  
**

**It's better to review later than never, and I'll be seeing you in the next chapter!**

**R&R!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Here it is! The last chapter of the story! Feels a little sad... But I guess this is how it should be... No matter how much I want to, I can't keep this story going on for an eternity :/  
**

**Right, the summary.  
In the previous chapter: Ash, after meeting Riley and Giovanni in the afterlife, became revived... However. Mikael, the old cook, sacrificed his own life to bring the young Guardian back.  
Then Ash Ketchum, filled with renewed strength and anger, engaged Paul Shinji in a brutal and gruesome battle. But, after a long and fearsome fight, Paul finally fell towards the ground, to never get up again.  
After that, the soldier of Hoenn realized the futile fight and fled... Making the soldiers of Kanto and Sinnoh the new victors... But to what price? How many lost their lives, in the defense of Sinnoh?  
What will happen now? Which path will the young Aura Guardian take? Will the girls finally confess their feelings for him? Will Brock ever get a girl? Only this chapter will tell...!**

**And for those who answered on the question, in the chapter before. What would happen between Ash, Lucario and Pikachu... Feel free the read the answer, in this chapter! :D  
**

**Finally my old BetaReader, **Justicez**, is back! So I'd like to thank him, for taking his time with this chapter! **

**Also, please read the end A.N., when you've finished the chapter. There's some important information in there, so I won't get those questions later.  
**

**I hope you'll enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review at the end of it! **

**R&R!  
**

* * *

Lance let out a big sigh of relief. Finally... the war was over, no one had to suffer or die anymore...

He looked around and saw the soldiers around him hugging and cheering, some of the pokemon even cried out in happiness. And Ash had survived! He couldn't describe what a huge relief that was to know...

Then the captain suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked behind himself and saw a blond woman, about his age.

"You fought well, private." A vein appeared on his head, as the woman didn't seem to know his true rank.

"You didn't fight so bad yourself, for a woman." The red-haired captain shot back to the blond one, clearly insulting her a great deal. "But next time, maybe you should leave this to us men?"

"Oh, my... You don't seem to know who I am, soldier of Kanto." The blond with gray eyes smiled dangerously, the corner of her right eye twitching. "If I were you, I'd watch my words."

"I could say the same thing, woman." Lance's face was starting to change to the same color as his hair, as he tried to keep his calm. "You clearly don't seem to have a clue as to who I am, either... But maybe that's to be expected for someone who isn't used to fighting...?"

"Is that... a challenge?" Even though the battle was over, the man and woman readied themselves to fight each other, in the mass of the celebrating soldiers. "Just say when..."

"How about-" Lance was about to charge her, to put the woman in place... though he was interrupted by a very tired and young man.

"Captain." Ash was being supported by his newly recruited apprentice, as he came limping towards them. It seemed as though his energy was completely drained.

"What is it?" The two captains looked at each other in confusion, since they'd said the exact same words. "Eh?"

"Are you..." Lance slowly lowered his weapon, looking at the woman with wide eyes. "Cynthia Shirona, the Captain of Sinnoh's armies...?"

"Then... you must be..." The blond woman looked equally shocked, as she almost let her lance fall from her hand. "Lance Wataru, the Captain of Kanto's armies...?"

"Yes, you're both captains... How could you not realize it...?" Ash, who felt greatly insulted for being ignored, was a little touchy at the moment... It could also be because he'd recently fought an extremely powerful enemy to the death. "Have you any idea, of how much we lost?"

"No-..." Once again, the two captains had answered simultaneously. They looked at each other for a moment, then turned away. But Lance decided to answer him, for the both of them. "No, we haven't the slightest. It's impossible to do so right now... But I'd say that Kanto lost only ten percent of our forces..."

"We weren't that lucky." Cynthia seemed a little depressed as she thought of the soldiers that she'd lost. "We've lost over half of our army... But, if it hadn't been for you, we would have lost everything, Sir...?"

"It's Ash..." The Aura Guardian smiled as he took off his hat, which he had put on, showing his black and, now dirty, long hair. "Sir Ash Ketchum, the Aura Guardian."

"Y-... YOU?'!" It seemed as the blond captain was about to die of shock, while Lance only looked at her reaction with confusion. "But... But... You... You're a mercenary!"

"Mercenary?'!" Now it was Lance's turn to burst out in confusion, since Ash hadn't ever told him the full story. "What's she talking about, Sir Ash? Didn't you just leave to train diligently in the path of the Aura?"

The young Aura Guardian felt as if he was about to get a slight headache from all the questions, so he started to limp towards Sinnoh's camp, still with Melody supporting him.

"How romantic..." The brunette's words caused a very big frown on Ash's face. "Those two just seem SO good together!"

"In which way...?" The Aura Guardian, who was starting to get more tired with each passing minute, muttered to himself. "Both of them judge a person by their first lo-... Nando! You're still alive?"

"I truly am, Ash-... Or should it be Sir Ash now...?" The man in a brown cape and top-hat asked with his sing-song voice, as he started to support Ash on the left side. "Your brave battle will go down in the books of history!"

"If you feel that it's necessary." Ash, who wasn't that happy about having his name known throughout the world, had started to mutter again. "And you'll still have to call me 'Ash'. I never go back on my word."

"You're so heroic, As-"

"Not you." The brunette fell down onto the ground, as the Aura Guardian interrupted her. "I'll explain everything to you later..."

Melody, who thought that Ash would want her to call him "Darling", or something similar, became even happier as she and Nando continued to lead the guardian towards the camp as they were starting to close in on the tents.

"Put me down here." The raven haired young man seemed to be too tired to even be polite. "I need to catch my breath a little... And, if you find Pikachu or Lucario, please send them to me..."

Nando and Melody seemed to want and stay, to talk with the Aura Guardian... But the tone in his voice said that he wanted to be alone, he probably had a lot to think about. So they nodded and walked away, starting to look for the pokemon or any hurt soldier to help.

The former mercenary removed his hat with a big sigh, his eyes half-closed. It is over now, isn't it...? So much pain, anger, depression... all for what? He'd never understand the path of the Dark Auras. Why live your whole life in hate, when you can enjoy it?

Ash slowly removed his sword's sheath from his belt, surprised to see it still intact. This wasn't a sword that he'd lose that easily as this was a good one. The edge of his katana still shone with a blue color, as if celebrating their victory over Paul and his sword-... Paul's sword... The Aura Guardian had tried to look for it, but it was gone! He suspected that a farmer or retreating soldier had taken it, hoping to get a good amount of gold for the weapon... Unfortunately, Nami Kuchiku would most likely end up in the hands of another Dark Aura... Oh, well. If that time came, he'd just have to defeat them once more.

"_**PikaPi/Master!**_" The young man's head snapped up as he saw the two pokemon come running towards him, both looked like their greatest wish in life had just been fulfilled.

"_**Lucario! Pikachu!**_" A broad smile appeared over the raven haired guardian's face as he got up on weak legs, only to embrace his old friends that threw themselves into his arms. "_**We did it... We won!**_"

"_**No, master. YOU won!**_" The blue jackal-pokemon's eyes became glossy as he sent those words to him. The three companions' embrace tightened as their faces radiated nothing but pure happiness. After all this time, they were back together again... all of them. "_**You're truly a man worthy of the title 'Aura Guardian'!**_"

"_**It's so nice to be able to communicate like this, PikaPi!**_" The rodent nuzzled its cheek against his partner's, making him chuckle. "_**I'm sorry, that I didn't go with PikaPi... But I figured the Queen needed protection!**_"

"_**You made the right choice, Pikachu.**_" The Aura Guardian closed his eyes as he started to scratch the rodent, which had placed itself in his knee, behind the ears. "_**You realized it much sooner than me, what my path was... Whether I like it or not, it's my duty to fulfill it!**_"

The two pokemons only looked at him and nodded quickly, the smiles still attached to their faces. Hard times would most likely come later... But for now, they could celebrate.

"_**But... I'm sorry, to cut this short...**_" Suddenly, the Aura Guardian got up from his position, attached his sword and put on his hat, as he looked on his two friends. "_**I feel that I need to speak with the Queen... I have caused her a great deal of suffering, for just abandoning my duty like that.**_"

"_**Of course, master.**_" Lucario bowed his head slightly. Pikachu just sighed, since he knew that PikaPi only thought that she'd be hurt, because of his skill as a warrior... But he'd let it pass for the moment, they'd have a lot of time to discuss that...

Ash closed his eyes a bit. Then took a deep breath and started to walk towards the biggest of the tents... He could feel the stares of several soldiers.

* * *

Dawn removed her silver-armor with a great sigh. She felt sweaty and dirty, a big change for any royal... However, she didn't resent the feeling. She'd finally witnessed what her soldiers did for their regions, and she'd even been a part of it! That was a thing she'd not forget easily.

Right now, she was dressed in some pants of soft brown leather and a thin white wool-shirt... she didn't care much about her appearance, for the moment, since her hair was, according to her, a big mess.

"Queen Dawn!" A soldier, she recognized as from her personal bodyguard unit, called out. "The Aura Guardian, who came with Kanto, requests to meet with you."

"W-What?" Of course, she knew that he'd come sooner or later... But this soon? Should she deny his entrance? She looked like a horrible, after all... No, she didn't have time to play an innocent maiden anymore... She was the Queen of Sinnoh! She was a grown woman, and wouldn't feel ashamed nor become flustered for anything! "Let him enter, please."

The guard nodded and held up the tent's opening for the Aura Guardian to enter.

Then, he walked in.

Even after everything Dawn had thought she had gone through, she couldn't help but stand there with her mouth wide.

His clothes were smeared with blood, partly his and partly his opponents', and dirt. His hair, which was being pushed down by the blue hat, was lying over his right eye, sticky with dried up blood. His thin gray shirt had several scratches here and there, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. His blue leather armor was torn on the right side, but also that could be repaired.

The only thing that seemed a whole was his hat and pants, even though they were drenched in blood and dirt too...

The Aura Guardian had his right eye closed a bit more than the other, showing evidence of the damage he had sustained to it. But he stood straight with his right hand on his sheathed blue katana... He looked at her, showing that he had a hard time to start the conversation.

"Who are you?" The queen couldn't stop the words from escaping her lips. She just needed to know! "Who are you, truly, Ash? A mercenary? A bodyguard? A knight? A Guardian?"

"I'm... not sure, anymore..." His voice was weak, his eyes seemed tired. But he mustered all his strength for this moment. "Never once in my life, have I been absolutely certain of who I am... But, right now, I can tell you this: I am no mercenary, bodyguard or knight... I am Sir Ash Aaron Ketchum, a Protector of the Aura!"

He then suddenly got down on one knee... This was the first time he'd ever bowed down to her in respect, and not for formality.

"I ask, from the depths of my heart, for forgiveness, Queen Dawn Berlitz of Sinnoh." He truly meant those words; she could hear the pain in his voice. "I was... a coward, nothing more. I hoped that by running away, my problems would them solve themselves, but not anymore... I swear, that I'll keep your country free from Dark Auras and the like!"

"Arise, Sir Ash the Aura Guardian." Her voice was soft... All her anger and disappointment had disappeared as soon as she'd set her eyes on him. Was this the power of his Aura? Or just the weakness of her heart? "Never once, did I blame you for leaving... It just pained me to see you leave without any will to explain the true reason. But, I forgive you."

"Queen Dawn..." The guardian got up on shaky legs, his sword hanging lazily at his side. "Then... might I ask a favor of you?"

"What might it be, Sir Ash...?" Dawn didn't really know why. But since the former mercenary had become an Aura Guardian, she started to use his title...

"Make that two..." He slowly took off his hat, showing even more of his dirty black hair. "One. Please call me 'Ash'... It just feels as if I don't deserve to receive such respect from you, my Queen."

"Ash...?" A weak smile appeared on Dawn's face. How she hated it when the man looked down on himself. "I guess I could do that..."

"Thank you." He then drilled his gaze into her, a hard look on his eyes. "Second... Please... smile..."

"What? Whatever do you mean, Ash?" Another weak smile appeared over Dawn's face, was this his idea of a joke? "I've been smiling all this time."

"No... I want to see your True Smile." He closed his eyes a bit, his hat still gripped in his right hand. "Your present smile is filled with sadness..."

"I-... I don't know what you're talking about!" Of course, Dawn knew what he meant... Ever since the death of her parents and Ash's departure, she'd been forcing herself to look happy and cheerful. But those things weren't so easy to fix, especially since nothing seemed to work... "I have always been-..."

She became quiet as Ash took her into a tight hug, his strong arms pushing their bodies together.

"Your Aura is revealing your true self, Queen Dawn..." She shivered a bit, when she felt his breath on her ear. Her arms were lazily hanging down to the sides, since she was still too shocked to do anything... The Aura Guardian still held her in his arms. "I know I'm not the sharpest when it comes to feelings... But I do recognize pain and sadness."

"I-... I-..." She didn't have any strength left to lift her arms. Ash was just holding his right arm behind her back, and the left one under it, as he pulled her into his embrace. "Ash, I-..."

"Cyrus Berlitz, your father; Johanna Berlitz, your mother; Sir Byron, a knight of Sinnoh; The soldier of Hoenn, the young man you killed; The people of Sinnoh, those who lost their families; Stop pushing it away... You're think about them, aren't you? Don't hold it in..." She could feel his grip tight around her. "Let it all out..."

"I... I don't know what you're talking about..." She could feel her arms start moving up towards the Aura Guardian, placing them around his waist. "I'm not feeling sad, or anything I just-... I just-..."

"Feel like crying..." He whispered softly in her ear, making Dawn lose every sort of self-restraint she had.

She gripped the young man's back and let out several sobs, tears starting to flow down her eyes as she buried her face into the man's chest.

"Mother... father... Everyone..." Her whole body shook as the Aura Guardian held her firmly, refusing to let her go. He too, had closed his eyes as he rested his head lightly on the top her hers. "Please... Come back!"

"Stand strong, when a hard wind comes..." He continued to whisper as he started to stroke her back. "Walk forward, if you feel the wind in your back... Don't give in... But don't stand firm for no reason... Cry, when you're sad. Laugh, when you're glad. Man, woman, pokemon, it doesn't matter... Just do it."

The Aura Guardian could feel his shirt become wet with tears; it pained him to watch the beautiful Queen cry like this... But she needed it, ever since her parents had died. It had been his fault, so he needed to be there for her.

"When everything is over, raise your head proudly... Never regret, never feel shame... Be proud..." Her sobbing had started to slow down, and Ash felt her grip on his shirt become slack. "And whenever you feel sadness again-"

"-look for someone close to your heart." The guardian got a slightly surprised expression on his face, when Dawn filled him in... But his expression then became soft again as he nodded.

"Yes..." He agreed with her as she looked up at him as she started to blink away her tears. "Look for someone that cares for you, whoever it might be."

Slowly, they let each other go as the two young ones backed away. Ash and Dawn looked at each other, one set of eyes filled with tears and the other one a soft smile on his face.

"Now... Dry your tears and look proud, Queen Dawn Berlitz of Sinnoh." It seemed as through Ash had started to regain most of his strength, as his voice started to have more power behind it. "Feel no shame, only pride!"

"Thank you, Ash..." She dried her eyes with her right sleeve, a slight blush of red over her face. "Thank you... For everything..."

"It's my duty, Queen Dawn..." He suddenly put his right hand on her head with a soft smile. "...as your friend."

He then started to walk out of the tent, only to be stopped by the Queen's voice.

"Ash! What about you...?" He looked at her with a confused frown over her face. "What about your true smile...?"

"Honestly...?" Once again, his expression softened as another smile appeared over it. "...I lost it, long ago. And, no matter how hard I've looked, I can't seem to find it."

"Maybe you need someone, to help you look for it?" She was starting to correct her shirt, her eyes refusing the leave the young man's.

"Who knows...?" He shrugged his shoulders; the right corner of his mouth raised itself slightly. "I guess only time will tell."

He then walked out of the tent. And, even if Dawn Berlitz felt slightly disappointed, she couldn't help but let out a short burst of laughter.

* * *

The squint-eyed advisor let out a huge sigh, as he finally dropped his small shield... He was SO going to request a raise after all this...

"_Ash, the Aura Guardian, huh...?_" He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "_So... that's what you were hiding? My fellow brother of Kanto..._"

He stretched his back a bit and looked around. How it pained him, to see all those hurt soldiers and farmers... that was terrible, that much he knew. Did anything good come out of it? But, at least for now, it seemed as though citizens of Sinnoh had come to the battlefield, to help out with treating the injured... It always felt good, to see each one pull their own weight for a common cause.

"Excuse me...?" The advisor turned his head tiredly towards the source of the voice; he just wanted to go to sleep... "Are you hurt? Do you need any treatment?"

"My lady..." The young woman's eyes shot up as she saw him go down on one knee and grab her hand. "Oh, if you could only fix the aching pain in my heart! Come! Let's go and mend my wounds with the power of love-..."

What happened next, greatly confused Brock Harrison...

First, he didn't feel any pain... Where had Croagunk gone? Had he fallen in the battle? No, he'd seen him just recently... Maybe the frog-pokemon had finally recognized Brock as a brave man who deserved love...?

Second, why in the world did the girl look like she wanted to hear more...?

"G-Go on..." The man's mouth dropped to the ground at the female's words as she stood there flustered, and looked away shyly. "Wh-... What were you... going to s-say... next...?"

"I-... I'm... not sure..." The advisor's eyes couldn't let go of her long teal hair, it seemed so beautiful... "I... haven't ever gotten this far..."

"I-... I see..." A very awkward moment appeared between the brown-eyed girl and the squint-eyed man... None of them dared to look the other in the eyes... But, once again, Brock's friend saved him... "Ah! L- Look! It's Sir Ash!"

"Eh? Where?" Harrison saw the young man dressed in blue walk out of the Queen's tent, looking like a great load had been lifted of his shoulder. "Oh, yeah... I forgot that he would meet with Queen Dawn..."

"Y-You know him...?" Brock started to curse his friend for all his worth, since it seemed as though he had, yet again, unknowingly conquered another woman's heart...

"Yes, I know him..." He muttered with a rather sullen voice. "We're both from Kanto, and both helped Queen Dawn in several ways..."

"You even know the Queen of Sinnoh...?" Now Brock finally understood... She wasn't impressed by the Aura Guardian, nor the Queen... She was impressed by him...! "That's so a-admirable!"

"R-Really...?" Once again, the advisor had become very flustered, as the long-haired woman and the spiky short-haired man could barely look at the other. "W-Well... My name's Brock Harrison, royal advisor at the halls of Sinnoh."

"Oh, my..." The girl, who seemed to be from a peasant-family, quickly did a rather clumsy curtsy. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't know who you were, Sir Brock!"

"What? Oh, no! Don't do that! There's no need...!" He became even more embarrassed now, as he looked quickly around. "Please, just call be 'Brock'! Miss...?"

"Suzy..." The beautiful and slightly older woman smiled, with her cheeks shining red. "Suzy Yuki..."

"Miss Suzy..." Brock had finally figured out the continuation of his line, as he got down on one knee once again and grabbed her hand...

* * *

"Are you ready?" He looked at the six beings in front of him... "It's not too late to refuse this."

"_**Not in this lifetime, master!**_" The blue and black pokemon smirked, his arms crossed as he stood proudly at his master's side.

"How can I tell your story, if I don't follow it...?" The man in brown, Nando, smiled calmly as he was plucking some strings on his lute. He was agreed by a loud "Kricke!"

"Are you joking? After all this time, you still think I want to leave? Besides... I won't leave you alone, until you have told me what happened in that tent!" The brunette in a rather clean, white dress stood there, her spear in her right and and whip at the side. "Right, Togepi?", "Togepriiii!"

"Pikachu...?" The Aura Guardian looked at his yellow partner with a slight frown. "What say you...?"

"Pika-chu... PikaPi, pikachu..." The rodent looked down towards the ground, causing Lucario's eyes to shoot up. "Pikachu-pi-pi."

"_**You're not coming with us...?'!**_" Even though the message was passing through Ash, Pikachu could hear Lucario clearly, causing his ears to droop.

"Strangely enough..." The rodent's ears perked up a bit as it felt its friend's hand onto its head. "I understand... Knowing you, you'd never let us fight alone... And, as much as I hate to admit it, you can't take on a Dark Aura... But don't act as if this is goodbye! I'll see you soon, isn't that right?"

"Pika!" The rodent threw itself into Ash's arms and started hugging him, small tears escaped from its eyes. "Pika-chuu..."

"The longer you linger, the more painful it gets..." Ash smiled sadly, and Melody could see him blink away some wetness from his eyes. "Go on... Take care of the Queen, alright?"

"Pikachu." The rodent nodded, happy to have received an order from his long-time friend. He then looked towards the blue pokemon, who stood there with his arms crossed... But a smile cracked the rodent's face, as Lucario put a paw onto his back and nodded. "Pikaa!"

"Sir Ash...?" Melody watched him carefully, as he was standing there with his eyes closed while his best friend ran towards the camp. "Are you... alright...?"

The Aura Guardian took a deep breath, before opened his eyes and attained the hard look once again. However, no matter how good he tried to hide it, you could still see the slight pain in his eyes.

"Melody..." The brunette's attention maxed out, since Ash hadn't used any honorifics before it.

"Yes, Sir Ash?" Her eyes almost glittered as the hat-wearing young man looked at her with a determined look.

"It's time to train you in the ways of a Guardian of the Aura!" Her eyes shot up, so soon?

"I'm ready!" Melody exclaimed as she stood at attention, they were rather far away from the battlefield now and Togepi was placed at the side of her.

"That's good..." Ash nodded slowly as he was walking around her, as if inspecting his new apprentice. "First..." He made a motion towards her clothes. "It's ridiculous, to think that you'd be able to train in those..."

"You're saying...?" The young woman's face became rather pale at his words, she had a bad feeling about this.

"As soon as we get to the next town, we'll equip you with something that's sturdy, light and easy to move around in." Ash nodded to himself, happy with his decision... Melody looked rather terrified, since she knew the Guardian's sense of fashion...

"A-Anything else...?" The girl sighed, her head was hanging down.

"Yes." He nodded, as he stood with his arms crossed in front of her. "You're not calling me 'Sir Ash' as long as I'm training you... you'll either call me 'teacher' or 'sensei', is that clear?"

"Yes..." Melody repeated his first word, feeling depressed, wasn't this supposed to be fun...?

"Yes, what?" The young man sharpened his gaze at the brunette, actually intimidating her a bit.

"Yes... teacher..." She had to force out the last word, it sounded so dorky... Togepi had started to snicker in the background.

"And YOU!" The little egg-pokemon almost jumped out of its shell, as Ash pointed towards him. "You're going to be trained by Lucario, and I expect the same standard from you!"

"Prii!" The pokemon tried a salute, but gave up since her arms weren't long enough...

"Very well." Ash nodded as he started to pace back and forth, in front of the two. Nando just sat on the sidelines and watched the scene with an amused look. "Sometimes, you're going to hate us... Other times, you'll want to kill us." A small smile appeared on his face when he said those words. "We know this, because we wanted to do it to Sir Riley and his Lucario."

Melody looked at him with disbelief... There was no way Sir Ash Ketchum, the hero of Guardians, would've thought of something like that...

"But..." He looked at the duo that stood there, waiting anxiously for his next words. "Both of you have great potential... and we're going to help you achieve that!"

Melody and Togepi didn't say a word, as they only looked at him.

"You days of 'fun' are over!" The girl and pokemon looked at each other with nervous looks. "I expect complete obedience. When we tell you to jump off a cliff, you WILL jump off a cliff!"

The apprentices nodded, even though they weren't too fond of the idea.

"I heard from Nando, that you like to eat a little more than necessary... also, that you like to liven things up..." His glare made the duo stop smiling immediately. "I can say right now: That's the end of it! We're not going to have any 'jokes' or 'fun' at our meals... we're not going to eat more than necessary!"

The brunette and pokemon's heads hung low at those words, they were already getting hungry...

"When we're done with you, you're going to become great warriors. It'll be almost impossible to kill you, and you'll take a man's life if needed be..." He sharpened his gaze into them. "Is that clear?"

"Yes..." Melody muttered to herself. This wasn't what she'd been expe-

"Yes...?"

"Yes, teacher!" The poor girl had to shout the words out loudly, until the man became satisfied.

"Very well..." Ash looked at each of them with a small smile. "Ladies... your path to the Aura, has begun!"

Lucario's snout couldn't help but crack into a smile, as he remembered those words nine years ago..."

* * *

"And, that..." Nando smiled as he plucked his instrument's strings a little. "Is the 'Tale of Ash the Aura Guardian'!"

The children in front of him, looking at the bard with big eyes, clearly wanted to hear more.

"Do you REALLY expect us to believe that...?" A robust child with short, brown hair asked with a rather cocky tone. "That the legendary Sir Ash Ketchum would have such a strange story...? EVERYONE knows that he's a master of the Aura, and there's no way he'd be that dense!"

"I don't form the stories, my child." The bard, who had a deal of great patience, smiled calmly. "I only tell them."

"So... you're saying that you know that Aura Guardian?" A little girl with blond hair asked eagerly. "Did you really face him in battle?"

"When I think back about it... I doubt you could call it a battle..." Nando sweat-dropped as he remembered his unfortunate loss. "But I do know the Aura Guardian... After all, I've traveled with him since then."

"Why would Sir Ash want to travel with you for two whole YEARS?" It seemed as if the boy with short hair had made it his duty, to prove the bard wrong. "Besides... How could he have taken on an apprentice? EVERYONE knows about the countless number of Dark Auras he's defeated, since the war between Sinnoh and Hoenn!"

"Truly, it was a hard task..." Nando agreed with the child, ignoring his taunting tone. "Miss Melody had-... has a rather hard time, traveling and training... But Ash is a good teacher, despite all he says. So, somehow, they get it to work!"

"But... there's one thing I don't understand." The black-haired bard looked at the blond child again, she seemed rather curious. "Of Miss Melody, Queen Dawn and Queen Leaf... who does Sir Ash truly love...?"

"Oh? Didn't I make that clear?" Nando laughed as all the children shook their heads. "Well, it's rather simple. Of course he-"

"Hey, mind keeping it down...?" The bard sighed at the 21 year old's tired tone.

The children looked towards the man on the bench, their eyes widened as they saw his clothes.

A black cloak, that went down past the shoulder, with a hood in the same color, was being used as some kind of sheet, as he laid on it on the bench. His blue boots and vest, gray pants and under-shirt... But, what caught their attention the most was the black hat with a blue band around the top, and on the band a mark of a Pidgeot's eye... the mark of the Aura Guardian.

"It took us three days to get to the Cerulean Cape... Can't I at least have a bit of rest...?" He got up from the bench and tipped his hat up, showing his long black hair. "Nando... Mind finishing your last sentence?"

"Not with the all-powerful Aura Guardian in my presence." The bard smiled with a slightly teasing tone, causing a frown appearing over Ash's face. "Where is Miss Melody?"

"Who knows...?" The Aura Guardian just shrugged. "My stupid apprentice was complaining about her hygiene before, so she dragged away Lucario and her partner towards some kind of house..."

"I'm sorry, I'm late!" The two males turned their heads towards a brunette, who came running with two pokemons... It seemed as if, during the two years, her body had developed even more... if that was even possible... "But Lucario took such a time in the bath!"

"_**I did not, master! She's lying!**_" The Aura Guardian lowered his head slightly, a very annoyed look over his face, as he heard his partner's voice.

"Melody! How many times have I told you, to take care of your uniform?" The teacher had started to scold his slightly younger apprentice once again, while she only rubbed the back of her head with a nervous smile. "The uniform of an Aura Guardian should be treated with respect and care! It's only allowed to be dirtied or torn in battle!"

"Well... Sensei..." She actually rolled her eyes. "If you'd declare me a true Aura Guardian, maybe I'd be more careful...?"

"Not as long as your partner is still a Togetic." Ash stated stubbornly as he looked at the floating, white pokemon next to Melody. "You're allowed to wear the uniform... But I'll not give you the title until she's evolved."

"But she just needs a Shiny Stone, right...?" Melody sighed, but then she got a rather mischievous look on her face. "Or... is it because you want me to call you... 'Master'...?"

"I've never told you to call me 'master'..." The guardian muttered as he tried to look away. "And keep your skirt still!"

"If you'd just allowed me to wear a similar uniform as you, we wouldn't have this problem, teacher!" She smiled happily as she stopped threatening to flash him.

"That's not even going to be taken into consideration!" Ash looked at his apprentice with a hard look. "The code is very strict for male and female uniforms!"

"Alright, I can understand the top..." Melody made a motion towards the top of her body, which was rather similar to Ash's clothes, except that she didn't have a cloak or hat and her gray shirt was a little more low cut in the front. "But who was it, that decided that females had to wear something close to mini-skirts?"

"Ask Sir Roy about that..." Ash muttered, rather irritated, as he thought of the Aura Guardian who had come up with the uniforms a long time ago... "Fortunately, the majority of Aura Guardians were men and-"

"You're just saying that, Sensei!" Melody laughed as she started to cling to him, making him feel even more awkward. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind seeing more female work-companions!"

"Stupid apprentice..." Was the only thing the guardian muttered, as he sent a look towards his partner. "Let's go, Lucario... The rest of you, stay here."

Melody sighed as yet another approach had failed... But she was not going to give up!

"He really has changed, hasn't he...?" Nando's words earned him a slight glance from the brunette. "I guess you were right..."

"It's a very common thing to happen, when someone revives you..." Melody sighed, since Ash had refused to tell anyone how it was on the other side. "His personality might change some more... but not that much. However, no matter how he tries to act, he'll ALWAYS be Sir Ash Aaron Ketchum, the Aura Guardian."

"Too true." The bard nodded at his friend's words... Then he noticed the wide-eyed children, who had witnessed the whole thing.

* * *

"Do you know why I am here...?" He didn't need to ask her that. The hateful look from the woman told him more than enough. "Where is she?"

"Leave her alone!" Aya, whom the years had affected a great deal, snapped out as she wanted the Aura Guardian to depart as soon as possible. "She doesn't have the power of the Aura!"

"Who do you think you're trying to fool...?" Ash and Lucario glared at her, even though Riley had been close to all their hearts, they couldn't get along. "We could feel her presence from the outskirts of Cerulean City! Please... Let me help."

"Oh, I know how you Aura Guardians 'help'..." She cut him short and continued to block the door. "You take the child from its mother, train the child and then let them die!"

"I won't deny that..." The Guardian lowered his head slightly, only to raise it again. "But I will tell you this: She has a much bigger chance of surviving with me, than staying with you! I tried to give you more time... but it's impossible! I've already intercepted four different Dark Auras, that tried to reach you... You CAN'T flee anymore! Her Aura is so strong that it attracts every Dark Aura around, it's IMPOSSIBLE to escape!"

"Don't try to blame this on me! I won't let you take my child from here!" Her grip around the doorframe tightened. "I know the stories about you... How you hunt down every Dark Aura in your way, you show them no mercy! You're driven by revenge!"

"No..." Ash Ketchum shook his head, he felt a powerful Aura come closer. "I don't seek them for revenge... That foolish emotion of mine is long gone... I am hunting Dark Auras, to prevent them from killing others... To prevent them killing a father of an unborn daughter, for example!"

His words struck Aya like a knife, as she lowered herself down to her knees and breathed heavily. Then, the door behind them opened and showed a girl of seven years old with jet black hair. She looked with a confused, yet calm, expression at the event that was happening.

Ash's face immediately became softer. Elizabeth reminded him so much about Riley, that it made his heart feel at ease. And he wasn't surprised to see the little Riolu behind her.

"Mother? What's wrong?" Her slightly emotionless tone was still the same, but Ash could feel her Aura vibrate with worry. "Why are you crying?"

"I felt you..." Was the next thing she said as she looked at the Aura Guardian. "I felt your presence, an hour ago."

"I wouldn't be too surprised, Elizabeth." Ash smiled calmly, his anger washed away. "You have a strong Aura... that's why I was discussing with your mother, to take you in and train you."

"I... will become an Aura Guardian?" The young man nodded at her words, while Aya clenched her fists. "I won't need to run anymore...?"

"Your father gave his life to protect us..." Ash took off his hat as he knelt down onto the ground, along with Lucario. "We will do the same thing... As long as we draw breath, your life will be safe! This, we swear."

"Mother..." She had a hard time to let the kneeling Aura Guardians go with her look, but she was her mother after all. "I need to go."

"No... Please... Elizabeth..." Aya took a firm grip around the young girl's shoulders. "You don't know what you're saying... you-... you'll be hurt!"

"I want to know more about my father." She simply stated, her face emotionless but her Aura spurting with emotions. "I want to walk his path... and this man is the only one who knows it."

"No... Don't-" But Aya was interrupted by Ash, who had gotten up from his position.

"You have two choices, Miss Kyo." The Aura Guardian looked at the older woman with a slight glare. "It doesn't matter how long you're trying to flee... In the end, it's up to this: Either your daughter becomes a Dark Aura, where she'll be forced to kill innocent for no reason... or she comes with me, and trains in the ways of an Aura Guardian. I promise, she won't come to harm as long as I'm still breathing."

"But... it's too soon..." Aya reached out her hand towards the retreating back of her daughter, as Elizabeth was starting to walk to Ash. "She's... She's only seven!"

"True. An Aura Guardian begins the training at ten... However! We can't linger any longer! Either she comes with us, or she goes with them!" He noticed how the black-haired child stood next to him now, looking up towards the Aura Guardian with respect. "I promise you, I'll raise her... Both as an Aura Guardian, and as a human..."

Then the four beings started to walk away.

The mother only clenched her fists as she watched the wandering group.

"I curse you, Ash Ketchum!" The Aura Guardian closed his eyes slowly, those words hurt... "I... hate you!"

He could feel, on her Aura, that the little child was about to cry... So he put a hand onto her head, and smiled when she looked at him.

"_**Don't worry, Elizabeth.**_" Her eyes widened as she heard his voice in her head. "_**Your path towards the Aura, has begun.**_"

* * *

"Really... That girl's a handful..." The raven-haired young man scratched the back of his head. "But I guess it makes sense... she has inherited a lot from her father, you know?"

"Besides... Why am I even standing here? It feels like I'm talking to myself." Ash groaned a bit, as he looked up into the sky. "I guess it's too much to expect answers from a stone, huh?"

Riley Gen's gravestone only stood there, completely still. The Aura Guardian sighed again, this was feeling rather awkward.

"I've come here for the past two and a half years... yet, this still feels unfamiliar. How do I even know you're listening? Or maybe you already know everything, and are just laughing at me right now? It's annoying just thinking about it..." He removed Nami Shirube from his belt as he sat down and leaned against the tomb. "But... I guess it wouldn't hurt to explain the things that are happening in the world one more time, would it?"

He took a deep breath and continued. "I visited Aya again... She still hates me, though. But, as long as her daughter's safe, she can't really do anything to me... She was rather against it, when I took your old sword... but your daughter needs some kind of weapon, right? Not that I'm planning on giving it to her yet... but when the time comes."

"Oh, and you might be interested in this." A slight smile cracked up on his face, as he still leaned against Riley's memorial stone. "You know Cynthia Shirona, the captain of Sinnoh? There's some rumors circling about, that she and Lance are meeting each other! Well, that should hopefully only strengthen the regions' bonds... unless they mess it up, somehow..."

"But the one thing that I can barely believe, is that the Aura Guardians are coming back!" He shook his head slowly, feeling it scrape a little against the stone. "And here we thought that we were the only ones left... It showed that many of them had only gone into hiding, for fear of being killed. Although, many are weak and in their middle-ages or older... But there's no problem with that!"

He removed his hat as he felt a slight breeze come from the trees, maybe he should head back soon?

"After I had met up with the majority of them, we figured that it would be wise to change some things... We are much more organized now, and some are traveling in groups... They even decided to make a new rank of the Aura..." He shook his head in amusement. "They've decided that, when you kill a Dark Aura, you'll be promoted to 'Aura Knight'! Stupid, isn't it?"

"We've also formed some sort of headquarters at Shamouti Island, since the legendary pokemons seems to prevent Dark Auras from getting there... It mainly works as a facility for training Aura Users rather than as a fortress..." He seemed to think a bit, before he stated stubbornly. "But I refuse to use it. Every time I go there, they seem to treat me as some sort of legendary pokemon... Yet, I wasn't invited into the Aura Council, since I was 'Too Young'... But it seems as my vote affects the decisions a great deal, though."

"There's really nothing different about the royalties... Hoenn is in a civil-war, again. But this time, the other regions are going to leave them to it... Queen Leafiona and Queen Dawn seems to be getting along rather well... except when they mention my name for some reason. Do they really dislike me so?"

A small smile appeared on his face, the ground was still wet from the morning dew. "Oh, well. They seem rather pleased when we visit them anyway-... By the way, you should've seen the look on their faces, when they thought that Elizabeth was my child!"

"Speaking of your child... Are you sure she's yours? If you ignore the most obvious facts... Her Aura is ridiculously strong! Maybe even stronger than mine! She still has a rather hard time expressing herself, and that's a lot coming from me... But she's extremely skilled with the Aura." He closed his eyes as he suddenly remembered something else to take up. "However... this story is far from a Happy Ending... Not only have we Aura Guardians started to rally our troops... It seems as if the Dark Auras are doing the same thing. They've gathered their forces in a new region, which sympathizes with them, called 'Unova'... Unova doesn't have a proper government yet, and is in more chaos than Hoenn..."

"Well..." Ash got up from his seating-position and put a hand on the stone. "Even if the Aura Guardians have reached a three-digit number count, we're still far fewer than the Dark Auras... But..." A wide smile appeared on his face. "The Dark Auras don't have me..."

The newly dubbed Aura Knight turned his back to the stone, and looked up towards the sky.

"It seems as if there's going to be rain tonight... But I think it'll clear up in the morning." He looked back at the stone and frowned. "Really... 'Riley Gen, a true Guardian of the Aura'? Is that all we could come up with...?"

He sighed as he knelt down and unsheathed his katana, then he started to scratch some more words into it.

After a few minutes, he got up and looked rather satisfied.

"_Here rests Riley Gen, 44 years old. A father, teacher and friend... A True Guardian of the Aura. May He never be Forgotten._"

"Isn't that better?" A small grin appeared over Ash's face, as he felt a few tears build up... but he blinked them away. "Sure, I know it sounds stupid... But I'm not a poet. Nando would probably just laugh at me, if I asked him to come up with anything."

"Alright, then..." He stretched his back a little as he attached his katana, to his belt. "I'll see you soon... When I come to visit again, I'll probably take Elizabeth with me. I figure she'd want to see her father's grave, at least."

"_**Till next time...**_" He didn't know why he did it... but he searched for Riley's Aura anyway. "_**My stupid teacher...**_"

* * *

"_**Welcome back, master.**_" Lucario nodded as he saw the Aura Knight come walking towards them. "_**Did you have a word with Sir Riley?**_"

"_**Yes, I'm done.**_" He smiled sadly, it always pained him a bit to leave the former Aura Guardian's stone... "_**How's everything going here?**_"

"_**Sensei. Melody isn't doing her training.**_" The young man let out a sigh. "I do too! You little-"

"Both of you, stop!" He glared at the bickering girls-... Or, it was more like Melody throwing fits, but it was usually Elizabeth who started it. "And I told you to speak normally, since you've already perfected communication through Aura."

"_**There's no need.**_" Ash figured that this was the young girl's biggest weakness. She was very shy towards everyone other than him, meaning that she'd almost stopped speaking with her mouth altogether. "_**I have nothing to say to that old woman.**_"

"What did you call me?'!" With the two females arguing, several veins were starting to appear at the back of Ash's head.

"I said... QUIET!" His shout made both his apprentices jump high into the air, then look at him with scared faces. "How are you going to be able to master your Aura, if you can't even master your bonds with each other?"

Melody and Elizabeth looked rather ashamed, as they looked down towards the ground... But Ash knew that it would start again, it always did.

"If you keep causing me trouble, I'll have to send you to Shamouti Island... Do you want that?" The girls shook their heads hastily; they wanted to be trained by the best. "Good. We're going to venture into Unova... It might be dangerous, so we need to hold a low profile and keep away from towns and such."

"_**What's our objective, master?**_" His partner, who was glad that Ash had finally cleaned up the small debate, asked of him formality, even though he would follow him to hell itself.

"The Time Flower said that we need to look for a girl named Iris Cuasorome... I'm not fully aware of the details yet, but it seems as if she's mastered a new type of Aura..." He could see, on his companions' faces, that they wanted to know more. "As I said, I'm not aware of all the details... But it's rumored that she's able to control Dragon-Type pokemon with it..."

"Does the objective say whether she's to be recruited... or eliminated?" Nando, who disliked death very much, asked with an insecure tone. "I'm not too fond of the idea, of watching a woman die."

"Neither am I." Ash agreed with crossed arms. "The Council said that it's up to us to decide what'll happen... So don't worry, you'll have another story to tell."

"Me? No... This is the last story of Ash, The Aura Guardian, that I'll ever write down." Smiled Nando as he put down his lute and shouldered his backpack. "I will leave it up to someone else to create your story."

"I understand." Honestly, the Aura Knight couldn't care less... he was actually glad for this, since that would mean less rumors and myths about him-... Not that he doubted it could get any worse... "Is everyone ready?"

Elizabeth nodded, with the sleeping, lazy Riolu in her arms. Melody, along with her Togetic smiled approvingly. Nando, who was busy finishing up the last bits of packing, only made an agreeing gesture together with Kricketune.

Ash glanced at Lucario, who looked back. Then they both smirked at the same time, as they nodded shortly.

"Right..." Ash readjusted his blue katana on his belt, and shifted his black cloak . "Let's go."

Over them was a little brown Pidgey, with a cream-colored chest, flying.

"_I don't know when I'll see you next, Riley, Giovanni..._" He looked up towards the sky, and watched the bird, from under the brim of his blue hat. There wasn't even a sign of rain. "_But I don't plan on meeting you again, any time soon..._"

**End of the story... or just an arc...?**

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**And it is, with this story, that I quit publish work over FanFiction. This will be my last story here. I can't seem to be able to keep up writing stories and study, at the same time.  
**

**"The Aura is With the Forgotten", is most likely the last pokemon-fic you'll ever see from me... Why? Because I've simply lost the interest in pokemon. It just feels, like an endless circle.**

**I know that many of you will be disappointed, that Ash didn't "chose a girl" (remember: The summary said "Possible" pearlshipping) ... But the opinions were too spread, so I decided to leave it up to your imagination... If you ignore the small "hints" I've dropped, throughout the story...**

**If you look closely enough, you can see the "-sign, at the beginning of chapter 1 ^^ The whole story was Nando's story to the children, get it...? :)  
**

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_**HOWEVER**_**! Those who are interested in sequels, prequels, spin-offs and such, should visit my profile and read its information. **

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**I guess it's time for my final words, huh? **

**You might think that this story turned out the way it did, all because of me... That is not true. Many factors helped.  
Justicez, my BetaReader, who corrected 38 of my chapters... Without his job, the stories would've barely been readable...**

**But what formed the story was YOU! Without your reviews and thoughts, NONE of this could've happened! Every, single review developed a new train of thoughts, and helped me shape the story to this. It was YOU who created the story, I simply came up with the basic and wrote it down! **

**That is why I thank you, too. For both reading this story, and helping me improve it. But it's better to not bring up the names, of those who helped me... Since then, the chapter's length would be twice as long. But you know, who you are.**

**Once again, thank you. I think it's time that I leave the writing of pokemon-stories, to the younger generation of writers... So why not try it out? It's actually not as hard, as it looks like! **

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**_One, Last Question_ (_which will never have a completely certain answer_): What do YOU think Nando was going to say, when the little girl asked him who "Sir Ash loved"...?**

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**I hope you enjoyed the story, and don't forget to leave a review! **

**It's better to review later than never, and I'll maybe be seeing you in the future!**

**R&R!**

**Respect other writers, and they'll come to respect you.**

**See you,  
/_Gerbilftw_  
**


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